Bills acquire WR Kelvin Benjamin in trade with Panthers
— -- The Carolina Panthers have traded top wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin to the Buffalo Bills for a third- and a seventh-round pick in the 2018 draft.
The third-rounder is the Bills' pick, not the one the franchise acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles in a separate deal. The 2018 seventh-round pick was acquired in a July trade with the Los Angeles Chargers for quarterback Cardale Jones.
Panthers interim GM Marty Hurney told ESPN's David Newton that the Bills reached out to Carolina and expressed interest in Benjamin. The Panthers were willing to part with him because it eliminates some redundancy on the field with the 6-foot-5 Benjamin and the 6-4 Devin Funchess, who has a similar skill set and now moves into Benjamin's role as the No. 1 receiver. The Panthers also want to get speed guys such as Russell Shepard, rookie Curtis Samuel and Kaelin Clay on the field more.
The Panthers would have had to make a decision on a long-term deal after the season for Benjamin, a former first-round pick in his fifth NFL season.
In Buffalo, Benjamin will be reunited with Bills coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane, both of whom used to work in Carolina.
The trade got a seal of approval from Bills running back? LeSean McCoy.
Benjamin has 32 catches for two touchdowns and a Panthers-best 475 yards this season. Currently, tight end Charles Clay leads Buffalo in receiving yards with 258. Bills wide receivers?have caught 45 passes for 594 yards, the lowest totals for that position group in the NFL.
The Bills' decision to add the 26-year-old receiver comes less than three months after they traded previous top wideout Sammy Watkins to the Los Angeles Rams.
Benjamin provides a surprising 5-2 Bills team with a big, deep target for quarterback Tyrod Taylor as it looks to end a 17-year playoff drought and advance to the postseason for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.
The Bills entered Week 9 with a 61 percent chance of making the playoffs, according to ESPN's Football Power Index.
Buffalo entered Tuesday's trade deadline with 19 selections over the next two drafts (2018-19), including six picks in the first three rounds next April. The Bills' willingness to part ways with some of their future draft assets signals that the Bills are serious about winning this season.
Tuesday's trade marks the seventh that Beane has made since being hired in May. In addition to trading Watkins and Jones, he also sent cornerback Ronald Darby to the Eagles in the preseason and dealt defensive tackle Marcell Dareus to the Jacksonville Jaguars last week.
ESPN's Mike Rodak contributed to this report.
