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February 6, 2016While he might currently be a free agent, all signs point towards wide receiver Travis Benjamin returning to the Cleveland Browns in 2016 and beyond. On ProFootballTalk Live on Thursday, Benjamin reiterated the fact that he wants to remain with the Browns.
“Hopefully, I can lock up before March.”
On Wednesday, Benjamin’s agent, Ronald Butler, told cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot that his client and the Browns were to reunite sooner rather than later.
The wide receiver and new head coach Hue Jackson, who will also take care of the play calling duties offensively, have spoken and the new man in charge had only kind words to say about one of his fiercest potential playmakers on offense in 2016.
“[Jackson] loves my skill set, loves my speed. Hopefully it will be a great 2016 season for us.”
Selected by the Browns in the fourth round (100th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft, the dread-locked speedster was mainly just a punt and kick return threat for the Browns his first few seasons in the orange and brown. But, that changed in 2015, when his 68 catches for 966 yards and five touchdowns were all career highs. Luckily for him, it was a contract-year, and he will likely receive a big pay day due to his breakout season in 2015.
“Football is my life, my pride and joy … I leave it up to my agent to figure out where I’m going. Once I’m in the building it’s all about getting better and going forward.”
Part of the reason Benjamin played so well in 2015 was due to his chemistry with quarterback Johnny Manziel. But, with the Browns likely releasing Manziel when the new NFL year starts on March 9 (they have to wait until then due to salary cap reasons), Benjamin will have a new quarterback to mesh with in 2016.
“I just wish Johnny the best … May God bless him in whatever he does.”
If Benjamin does in fact return to Cleveland, he and Josh Gordon, who applied for reinstatement on January 20, along with Duke Johnson and Gary Barnidge, could be four playmakers for whoever the quarterback may be in 2016.
For now, the fifth-year wideout is set to become a free agent when the new NFL year starts on March 9. That is, unless the Browns and Benjamin can come to an agreement beforehand.
1 Comment
It’s hard to not sound like a broken record when speaking positively about the browns in the offseason, but…. This team has a lot of offensive potential. There are a lot of ifs (Gordon, Benjamin, Schwartz, Mack), but if those guys stay/produce and we finally hit on our franchise QB, there’s no reason 2016 can’t be a quick turnaround for the offense. The pass rush may need a miracle however.