Why 2015 Will Be Breakout Season for Cleveland Browns WR Travis Benjamin

When the 2015 NFL offseason began, it seemed like Cleveland Browns wide receiver and returner Travis Benjamin could find himself on the team's roster bubble.

The Browns' cadre of receivers grew exponentially, including the signings of free agents Brian Hartline and Dwayne Bowe, and the drafting of Vince Mayle. Add into the equation the ever-increasingly important roles of Andrew Hawkins and Taylor Gabriel, and it looked like Benjamin would be doomed as the odd man out.

It wasn't hard to see why. After suffering a torn ACL in October of the 2013 season, Benjamin looked uncomfortable and tentative in his 2014 return. Never the most reliable receiver, his reception percentage dipped to 39.1 percent, catching just 18 of the 16 passes thrown his way. Though he did have career highs in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, at 314 and three, respectively, his inconsistent performance left much to be desired.

Year	Tgts.	Rec.	Rec.%	Rec. Yds.	TD	PR	Yds.	TD	KR	Yds.	TD
2012	37	18	48.6%	298	3	3	149	1	3	76	0
2013	13	5	38.5%	105	0	22	257	1	3	146	0
2014	46	18	39.1%	314	3	15	127	0	12	246	0
Total	96	41	42.7%	717	5	40	533	2	18	468	0

At first, the only thing that appeared capable of saving Benjamin's roster spot was his skills as a kick and punt returner. Benjamin, one of the fastest players in the league, has returned 40 punts for the Browns in three years, for 533 yards and two touchdowns, while also returning 18 kickoffs for 468 more yards.

But the Browns' added running back Duke Johnson in the draft, re-signed returner-capable back Shaun Draughn and expressed willingness to at least experiment with cornerback Justin Gilbert at returner. So it clearly seemed like Benjamin would have to stand out this summer in ways he didn't a year ago in order to hang onto his roster spot.

And now, Benjamin has stepped up considerably. He's clearly fully recovered, both physically and mentally, from 2013's injury and has taken on the mantle of both receiver and returner, and the results have been impressive. A breakout season seems to be in the cards for Benjamin, and not a moment too soon—Benjamin is set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2016.

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Benjamin has spent the most of his training camp time with the first-team offense. While a nagging hamstring injury suffered by Bowe has been part of the reason why, it has been Benjamin's performance that has kept him there. At the very start of camp, Benjamin was already catching pass after pass from first-string quarterback Josh McCown, passes that included deep strikes as well as over-the-middle throws, and has earned the much-coveted moniker of "reliable."

That reliability has remained at an even keel up to and including this week's joint practices between the Browns and the Buffalo Bills. Benjamin was one of ClevelandBrowns.com's Andrew Gribble's standouts from Monday's session, writing that Benjamin has, "been as consistent as anyone since the start of training camp [and] caught almost every pass thrown his way."

And Benjamin has caught the positive attention of his teammates as well. McCown, via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, said:

"

Trav, he's a pro. He just comes out and works hard, doesn't say a whole lot. He's got a great skill set as far as his speed. You get a guy with speed like that a lot of time, but when the lights come on, either they play timid or they don't play at the high speed. Trav explodes off the ball every time we snap it, and because of that, he's using his speed to his advantage. It's causing space for him to get open, and that's why he's able to get balls. He's really doing a good job. Everybody's working really hard, but he's really helped us set a tone for how we're going to come off the football and work, and it's been cool to watch.

"

Meanwhile, in a Twitter question-and-answer session, Browns safety Donte Whitner named Benjamin the team's most improved player.

Benjamin is also excited about his newfound connection with his quarterback, saying (via Fred Greetham of Scout.com) that, "[McCown] adjusts to [me getting open] now. He knows that whenever I'm on the field and he sees the advantage, he's going to me no matter what. We have that great connection with each other."

A prime example of this is the touchdown pass that Benjamin caught in the team's first preseason game against Washington. The play broke down, McCown was flushed from the pocket, and while the coverage headed left, Benjamin headed right, allowing for the easy score between a receiver and quarterback who are clearly on the same page.

Add all of this up, and suddenly it appears that Benjamin could prove to be more valuable to the Browns this year than at any point previously in his career. His speed is back, his confidence as a receiver has returned—especially with the help of McCown—and he's first in line to return punts this season.

Now, it's Benjamin who looks poised to knock another receiver off of the Browns' 53-man roster and not the other way around. What a difference a summer can make.