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Why the Panthers agreed to trade Kelvin Benjamin
By Max Henson and Bill Voth
CHARLOTTE – In a move that surprised many, the Panthers traded wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin to the Bills on Tuesday.
Interim general manager Marty Hurney took advantage of an opportunity to shake things up on offense and acquire assets for the future, getting third- and seventh-round picks in 2018 from the Bills.
Carolina parted ways with a talented receiver who flashed at times and at others lacked focus. But that’s not the reason he’s now with Buffalo.
Here’s a closer look at reasons why.
A lesson from recent history
When the Panthers released Jason Avant 11 weeks into the 2014 season, many assumed it was because the wideout publicly questioned play calling. Truth is, it had nothing to do with that.
Think about who quarterback
What did the Panthers see when they self-scouted during the bye in Week 12 that year? An offense bogged down in the middle. Their solution was releasing Avant to free up snaps for speedy rookie Philly Brown.
The change only slightly improved Brown's numbers. With Avant in the lineup, Brown had 12 receptions for 160 yards in eight games. In seven games without Avant – including a pair of playoff contests – Brown caught 14 passes for 197 yards.
The big difference was with the offense as a whole. As Brown took the top off opposing defenses, the middle of the field became easier to navigate for Newton.
In their 11 games with Avant, the Panthers averaged 327.3 total yards and 19.5 points. Without him, those numbers jumped to 385.0 and 24.0.
So what the Panthers experienced through that first half of 2014 was a lot like what they saw happen through the first eight games of this season. Without a consistent vertical threat to worry about, defenses could play closer to the line of scrimmage, hurting both the intermediate passing game and the run game.
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Except for games at New England and Detroit – when the offense produced 10 plays of more than 20 yards – chunk plays have been few and far between this season. Over the past three weeks, the Panthers combined for only two.
A counterpoint to that is Benjamin was the guy responsible for those two. But the main point is the Panthers felt they needed to open up the field, and a way to do that was by giving speedier guys more snaps.
‘X’ marks the spot
Benjamin and
Since he arrived as a first-round pick in 2014, Benjamin was Carolina’s split end, otherwise known as the “X” receiver.
When Funchess arrived as a second-round pick in 2015, he proved he was versatile enough to handle lining up at several receiver spots. But it became clear to the Panthers that the “X” role and all that it entails in their scheme suited him best.
Now it’s available for him....
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