The Denver Broncos signed wide receiver Trinity Benson as an undrafted free agent out of East Central University in 2019 and he spent his first two seasons in the league on the team’s practice squad.
Last year, Benson impressed during training camp and preseason, so much so that Denver would not have been able to waive him and get him back on the practice squad without another team claiming the receiver off waivers.
The Broncos also had a crowded wide receiver room, so there wasn’t room for Benson on the active roster, either.
Denver general manager George Paton then decided to turn the team’s depth at receiver into extra draft capital. During roster cuts, Paton traded Benson and a sixth-round draft pick to the Lions in exchange for fifth- and seventh-round picks.
It’s the kind of move Paton loves to make, adding extra late-round picks for a player on the roster bubble. The deal did not work out well for Detroit as Benson played in just eight games last year, catching 10 passes for 103 yards.
This summer, Benson failed to make the Lions’ 53-man roster and he was waived. After the Broncos created an open practice squad spot on Monday, the team brought Benson back on a one-year deal.
So one year after adding a higher draft pick, Paton also gets Benson back on the practice squad. That trade certainly worked out well for Denver.
