The Detroit Lions made a trade for some wide receiving help on Tuesday. Detroit sent two late-round picks to Denver for young wideout Trinity Benson and a late-round pick in return.
Benson is something of an unknown commodity. An undrafted free agent from D-II East Central in Oklahoma in 2019, he’s been on the Broncos practice squads in the last two seasons. The 6-foot, 180-pounder is coming off a stellar preseason where he caught all eight passes thrown his way for 80 yards and two TDs, both of which came in their opener against the Minnesota Vikings.
Because I haven’t seen Benson play beyond highlights, I turned to folks who have for the skinny on the new Lions wideout. I called upon some Denver media contacts to offer up their more informed thoughts on Benson.
From Brett Kane of Altitude Sports,
Benson capitalized on his opportunities all throughout camp. He would have made the roster had it not been for how stacked Denver was at WR. He’s got way more speed than given credit for, good hands. Creating separation off the LOS could be an issue because he’s not that big/physical. He’s mentioned multiple times that he has a “chip on his shoulder” because he went to a DII school and wants to prove he can play with the big boys—-basically that Dan Campbell grinder mentality he loves. He’s not going to make this WR room something great in Detroit, but he should get be able to be a consistent contributor.
Ben Allbright from KOA Radio, the flagship station for Broncos coverage, offered this assessment,
Had an awesome camp. Fast, great athlete. Teammates love him.
More deep threat than anything, but really worked the mid routes well this camp.
Erick Trickel of Mile High Huddle also liked what he saw in training camp and preseason from Benson,
Benson has good speed and pacing with his routes to challenge every level of the field. In his rookie year, there seemed to be some issues with drops, but that wasn’t the case last year in camp or this year. He quickly became the reliable target no matter who was in at quarterback and consistently gave Broncos DBs problems in practice.
Cecil Lammey from FootballGuys and Denver sports radio had this to say,
Really good training camp. The most consistent performer from OTAs and mandatory minicamp too. All-out effort for the ball. Great ‘my ball’ mentality. When it’s in the air he will attack the ball. I believe he can work his way up the depth chart quickly because of lack of talent in Detroit at the WR position.
Lammey also referenced something he wrote for the Broncos’ preseason preview,
Trinity Benson has been with the team since they picked him up as a UDFA out of East Central in 2019. It’s easy to see how Benson can use his quickness to get open on slant routes, plus he has a long stride to pull away from chasing defenders. Benson measures 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, and impressed scouts at his pro day with a 4.4 40-yard dash and a sub-6.9 second three-cone drill. He can work as a receiver or return man, and Benson even got a chance to get some carries on sweeps for East Central.
Finally, my colleague Jon Heath of Broncos Wire offered his insight that includes potential return-man duties for Benson,
After joining the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of East Central University in 2019, Trinity Benson spent two years on the team’s practice squad before emerging as a true contender for a spot on the 53-man roster this summer. Benson caught two touchdown passes in the team’s first preseason game and he looked dynamic as a returner. Denver has a crowded wide receiver room, though, one that’s headlined by Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick and KJ Hamler. The Broncos also have a productive returner in Diontae Spencer (a Pro Bowl alternate in 2019), so there just wasn’t room for Benson on the final 53. Benson became a fan favorite in Denver this summer and he’ll now get a chance to endear himself to fans in Detroit, presumably as the team’s primary returner.
Beyond what the Denver sources graciously offered, here are a couple of social media posts on Benson from respectable sources that help flesh out what the Lions are getting:
New #Lions WR Trinity Benson had plenty of explosive plays at the D2 level. Still unproven in the NFL, but his college tape showed potential. https://t.co/72b2yLEQjJ
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) August 31, 2021
Trinity Benson put together a fantastic camp and was PFF’s 10th highest-graded WR (84.4) this preseason
He joins a wide-open WR depth chart in Detroit. Someone to keep an eye on 👀 https://t.co/GH4ubDBjtn
— Jarad Evans (@PFF_Jarad) August 31, 2021
We’ll get our first look at Benson in Lions practice later this week. The team is off on Tuesday.
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