Cleveland Browns return specialist Travis Benjamin is out for the rest of the season after he tore a knee ligament.
Benjamin suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the Brown’s 23-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. During a return in the third quarter, he twisted his knee while planting and will need to have surgery, according to the Associated Press. The Browns will certainly miss Benjamin as he has been a major playmaker for them. He set a Browns’ record with 179 yards in returns against the Buffalo Bills.
''It's a tough loss for us,'' Browns’ coach Rob Chudzinski said. ‘‘But we'll have some guys step up.''
This season, Benjamin averaged 11.7 yards on 22 punt returns. As a wide receiver, he caught five passes for 105 yards, according to the Sports Network. Benjamin has also rushed for 45 yards. Benjamin is the second Browns player to have a torn ACL. Quarterback Brian Hoyer had surgery to repair his torn ACL recently.
Wide receiver Davone Bess will handle punt return duties. Cornerback Joe Haden is another possibility for punt returns. However Chidzinski would rather not use one of his best defensive players for punt