Veteran Benjamin knows competition awaits with young 49ers receivers
The 49ers are hoping increased competition during training camp leads to quick development from their young receiving corps.
At least that’s what newcomer, and resident veteran, Travis Benjamin expects.
“Before I even got off the phone (with the 49ers), we knew, on both sides, I was coming in competing,” Benjamin said on a video conference call this week. “Nothing is given, everything is earned.”
Benjamin, 30, is the only member of San Francisco’s 12-man position group older than 26. In March he signed a one-year deal worth roughly $1.05 million to re-connect with Kyle Shanahan who served as his offensive coordinators when both were with the Cleveland Browns in 2014.
Benjamin, a fourth-round pick in 2012, is entering his ninth NFL season while none of his new teammates in the receiver room entered the league before 2017. That’s because San Francisco will be without the two most experienced wideouts from last year’s team. Emmanuel Sanders, 33, signed a with the New Orleans Saints in free agency and Marquise Goodwin, 29, who was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles on the third day of the NFL Draft.
It’s likely Benjamin was brought in to replace Goodwin’s speed element the 49ers used to help take the top off defenses, though making the team will be difficult.
“Kyle loves speed,” Benjamin said. “Whenever there’s a fast guy willing to make a play and Kyle (is) willing to draw it up for you and make that play, and put that speed on tape.”
Benjamin ran a 4.36 in the 40-yard dash before getting taken in the fourth round by Cleveland. He was there for four seasons before spending the next four with Philip Rivers and the Chargers. Benjamin appeared in a career-low five games in 2019 before landing on injured reserve with a quad injury Oct. 17.
The former Miami Hurricane averaged 393 yards on 26 catches per season. His best campaign came in 2015 with the Browns when logged 966 yards on 68 receptions with five touchdowns. Benjamin, a big-play threat, averaged 15.1 yards per catch for his career and has 14 touchdowns that went longer than 40 yards.
The 49ers began their virtual offseason program April 27. Benjamin noted Shanahan’s current playbook is similar to the one he became familiar with in Cleveland.
“You have a couple words that are different but from my knowledge, the offense is exactly the same,” Benjamin said. “You might have some adjustment where they run deeper than what we ran back in the day or you have a different name for it but it’s almost exactly the same.”
The 49ers have generally kept six receivers on the active roster during the regular season. Of the current group, Deebo Samuel, Kendrick Bourne and recent first-round pick Brandon Aiyuk are locks. Richie James Jr. has been the team’s primary return man and an option in the slot the last two seasons.
But slot reps could be tough to come by if Trent Taylor (foot) and Jalen Hurd (back) return after missing all of 2019. Others competing for spots include 2018 second-round pick Dante Pettis, who’s coming off a down second season in which he fell out of the rotation, recent seventh-round pick Jauan Jennings, undrafted rookie Chris Finke, Shawn Poindexter and Chris Thompson.
So far, Benjamin has said he’s enjoyed his virtual meetings with his new teammates and their unique personalities. He noted Bourne has been true to form as the team’s resident dancer, even on video calls.
What stood out to Benjamin about his new team became apparent during last year’s playoff run, including the NFC title game against the Packers that included 42 running plays to just eight passes.
“I was watching the Green Bay tape where they barely passed the ball and they were just run, run, run mostly the whole game,” Benjamin said. “Guys (receivers) were happy. You could see guys out there blocking for their teammates and once you see a great commodity like that, it doesn’t matter if it’s run or pass, if you’re winning you should be happy.”
