[ad_1]
Kelvin Benjamin entered the opening minutes of his first practice at training camp with the Giants on Wednesday and engaged in an intense conversation with head coach Joe Judge. A moment later, Benjamin walked slowly off the field, followed closely by general manager Dave Gettleman, who, when general manager in Carolina, made Benjamin a Panthers first-round draft pick in the draft. of the 2014 NFL.
Benjamin might as well have continued to walk. The Giants released him later today. A source told The Post that Benjamin’s weight was “an issue.”
The 30-year-old was an extremely long shot to make the final roster. He hasn’t played in the NFL since 2018 and was trying his hand at a new position, the tight end. The Giants took a flyer about Benjamin, signing him May 16 from a rookie minicamp for a one-year contract worth $ 990,000.
Benjamin told NJ.com he arrived at camp at 268 pounds and the judge wanted him to weigh 251. Benjamin passed the conditioning test on Tuesday, but said the judge told him he was going. Fine him for being overweight and that he could not workout on Wednesday.
“I felt like from day one, once I got on the pitch, once I put the colors on, [Judge] never liked me, ”Benjamin told NJ.com. “He didn’t even want me there.
“The day before training, he didn’t mention all of this. I just felt like the guy didn’t like me. Mr. Gettleman knew exactly what had happened. Everyone in the building told me I was beautiful. I felt good.”
As for Judge, Benjamin added, “He’s not a coach who can ever win a Super Bowl because he sits there and swears all day. You can tell he’s one-sided about everything. He’s a know-it-all. This is not how it should work. ”
Benjamin caught 73 passes for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns as a rookie, but missed the 2015 season after tearing his ACL and his career never fully recovered from that injury.
The Giants still have seven tight ends on the roster. One of them, Rysen John, was placed on the reserve / COVID-19 list on Wednesday.
[ad_2]
Source link