The Cleveland Browns have been talking contract with pending free agent wide receiver Travis Benjamin for months. Recent reports even indicated that a deal between the Browns and the speedy Benjamin was "close." But on the eve of the NFL rookie scouting combine, word has come that Benjamin is actually planning to hit free agency and see what's to be had on the open market.
Draft Insider's Tony Pauline tweeted Tuesday night that Benjamin is "likely" to test out free agency and actually already has a handful of meetings set up with other teams.
Word from the combine is receiver Travis Benjamin will test the free agent market & has almost a handful of meetings w/other teams set up.
— Tony Pauline (@TonyPauline) February 23, 2016
Benjamin, a former fourth-round pick out of Miami, after seasons of 18, 5, and 18 catches, finally broke out in 2015. This past year, Benjamin managed 68 receptions for 966 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Part of the reason for Benjamin's breakout was the upgrade at quarterback - for all his issues, Johnny Manziel played well when he was in the lineup and he and Benjamin seemed to develop a serious chemistry that resulted in plenty of big plays. Prior to that, Benjamin's growth was very much stunted by the parade of awfulness the Browns struggled through at the quarterback position.
But despite Benjamin's production last year, he also comes with plenty of question marks for potential suitors. He managed just 8 games in 2013 due to injury. He's a smaller guy at just 5-foot-10, 175-pounds, so further injury will always be a concern. He brings elite speed, but his skillset may be one-dimensional. And his only productive NFL season came during a contract year.
Really, that's usually the biggest red flag of them all.
All that aside though, Benjamin is a talented player who will likely garner plenty of interest on the free agent market. The Browns and new head coach Hue Jackson would probably prefer to keep him, and there's no saying Benjamin can't test the waters and circle back. But if he's going to price himself out of Cleveland, there's not really much the franchise can do but wish him well and send him on his way.
