Kelvin Benjamin burst up the right sideline http://www.falconsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-justin-bethel-jersey , timed his turn some 20 yards upfield, and made a leaping catch by using his imposing 6-foot-5 frame to box-out cornerback Tre'Davious White on the opening day of the Bills' mandatory minicamp.

It wasn't so much the catch that thrilled Benjamin. It was, more so, how effortlessly he leaped now that his two once-wobbly knees are feeling better.

"I'm so happy to have both knees working for me at the same time," Benjamin said Wednesday.

"Last season, that catch, even trying to jump up and get that, I would have had to put so much effort just to jump. I mean, I did it with ease. It was just like second nature to me."

That's encouraging for Benjamin, who had offseason surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right knee. Benjamin also played through a sore left knee, which he strained while still playing for Carolina, before being traded to Buffalo on Oct. 31.

The 27-year-old is attempting to re-establish himself as one of the league's more productive receivers following a mostly forgettable season in which injuries and the trade stunted his production.

Benjamin finished with 48 catches for 692 yards and three touchdowns, all career lows since being selected by Carolina with the 28th pick in the 2014 draft.

Benjamin is eager to put last year behind, by saying, "You've got to have a short memory, you know what I'm saying, forget about it and move on."

It helps being healthy Kerryon Johnson Jersey Elite , and Benjamin having an entire offseason to familiarize himself with Buffalo and new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll .

Just as important, Benjamin believes he's in a better place entering the final year of his contract after getting the sense he no longer fit the Panthers' long-term plans.

Benjamin revealed he prompted the Panthers to trade him.

"I didn't want to be there no more, nah," he said. "I just felt like they weren't featuring me more. I was their No. 1, but I wasn't getting my No. 1 targets."

Benjamin had just 32 catches on 51 targets in eight games with the Panthers last season. That was a sharp decline from his rookie season, when he was targeted 145 times, and finished with 73 catches for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns.

Bills general manager Brandon Beane gave up third- and seventh-round draft picks to acquire Benjamin, and acknowledged having inside information on the receiver being available. Beane previously served as the Panthers assistant GM and had a hand in drafting Benjamin.

"I didn't think it was a what you'd call a perfect marriage at the time for various reasons, and probably looking at a lot of avenues for blame," Beane said of Benjamin's falling out in Carolina.

"I know when he's healthy what he can do. And you can't coach size and length that he has. And that's a weapon to defend."

In Buffalo, Benjamin is expected to be a fixture on a revamped offense lacking proven depth behind him at receiver.

He also benefits from playing under coach Sean McDermott, who has firsthand knowledge of the threat Benjamin can present after previously serving as the Panthers defensive coordinator.

"It's a matchup concern for defenses, it's a matchup concern for defensive coordinators, and one we need to use wisely," McDermott said.

The Bills' passing attack ranked no better than 22nd in three seasons under Tyrod Taylor, who was traded to Cleveland this offseason. Buffalo hasn't cracked the top 10 of the NFL in yard passing since finishing fifth in 2002 during Drew Bledsoe's first season.

Rookie first-round pick Josh Allen Leighton Vander Esch Color Rush Jersey , free-agent addition AJ McCarron and second-year backup Nathan Peterman are competing for the starting job.

Benjamin is eager to show he hasn't lost a step, while knowing he has something to prove when it comes to making a case for his next contract.

"I feel like it's going to come. You ain't got to sit there and beg for it," Benjamin said. "Money, the money, it's going to come."

NOTES: Allen ended the final day of mandatory practices on Thursday by hitting fellow rookie WR Austin Proehl on a deep touchdown pass on their first play from scrimmage. ... The Bills are off until opening training camp in suburban Rochester, New York, on July 26.

For a team with some of the biggest stars in baseball, the New York Yankees are getting many of their most critical contributions from a remarkable group of unflappable youngsters.

Gleyber Torres hit another three-run homer, fellow rookie Domingo German struck out a career-high 10 for his first major league win and the Yankees edged the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 in the opener of a four-game series Thursday night.

"All the young guys we have, they've been excelling. So, it's fun to watch," reliever Dellin Betances said. "I think the fans are excited to kind of see this wave of young guys just helping this team out and you're going to be seeing them for a lot of years."

Aaron Hicks also homered off Blake Snell (8-4) as New York beat the blossoming left-hander for the second time this season and ended his four-game winning streak.

"Gave them a lot of opportunity to do damage," Snell said. "Everything was inconsistent."

German (1-4) allowed Matt Duffy's home run on the first pitch of the game but quickly recovered to strike out the next three batters.

"Unfazed," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "A really strong outing for us, especially after getting punched there right before Roll Call even started."

Making his seventh start in place of injured Jordan Montgomery, the right-hander permitted three runs, five hits and two walks in his 19th career appearance.

Chad Green and Betances set up Aroldis Chapman for his 19th save in 20 attempts.

"It's been a long battle for me Cowboys Leighton Vander Esch Jersey ," German said through a translator. "It means a lot. Hopefully I can relax a little more."

Wilson Ramos and Joey Wendle each had an RBI single for the Rays, who were coming off a three-game sweep of Toronto.

Duffy tried to score from first on Ramos' run-scoring single in the third when the ball caromed off left fielder Giancarlo Stanton after he charged in for it. Stanton chased down the ball and fired a strike to catcher Gary Sanchez at home plate, nailing Duffy for the final out of the third to keep the score 2-0.

Fresh off a three-day breather, the slumping Sanchez had an eventful night on defense. He also dropped a foul popup for an error, allowed a wild pitch that put a runner in scoring position and threw out Carlos Gomez trying to steal third with one out in the seventh.

Hicks hit an opposite-field homer in the fifth. Aaron Judge singled and Sanchez drew a two-out walk before Torres drove a 96 mph, full-count fastball to left for his 13th homer since being called up from the minors on April 22. This was the first one that didn't come from the No. 9 hole – Torres batted fifth as the Yankees started nine right-handed hitters against Snell.

The rookie has five three-run homers already, most among big league hitters. Torres also went deep in Wednesday night's loss to Washington.

"I think when you mature every day, every at-bat, you believe in what (you) can do," the 21-year-old Torres said. "Just try to take good at-bats, believe, focus and do my job."

New York, with the best record in the majors at 44-20, hasn't lost consecutive games since May 22-23 at Texas.

Making a strong bid for his first All-Star selection, Snell struck out eight and threw 105 pitches in five innings. He was 3-0 with a 0.38 ERA in his previous four starts.

"We need to get him deep in ballgames. He's done that all season for us and today for whatever reason, he just didn't have the command to get it done," Rays manager Kevin Cash said.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Rays: Gold Glove CF Kevin Kiermaier (right thumb surgery) and SS Adeiny Hechavarria (strained right hamstring) are moving from Class A Charlotte to Triple-A Durham this weekend to continue their rehab assignments. … RHP Chris Archer (left abdominal strain) is likely to play catch Friday http://www.patriotsauthorizedshop.com/authentic-danny-shelton-jerseyy , Cash said. … INF Daniel Robertson (strained left hamstring) probably will play a rehab game or two at Class A and the team hopes he'll be ready to come off the disabled list next Thursday, the first day he's eligible, Cash said.

Yankees: RHP Masahiro Tanaka (two strained hamstrings) was kept home with a virus but is expected back at the ballpark Friday. The issue shouldn't delay Tanaka's return, Boone said.

ROSTER MOVE

After the game, the Yankees optioned 1B-DH Tyler Austin to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to open a roster spot for Jonathan Loaisiga. The right-hander will be called up from Double-A Trenton to make his major league debut Friday night, pitching in place of Tanaka.

UP NEXT

Rays: Nathan Eovaldi (1-1) starts Friday night against his former team, his fourth outing since coming back from a second Tommy John surgery. Eovaldi pitched for the Yankees from 2015-16, going 14-3 in 2015, but has never faced New York. "I wish I would have been able to finish on a healthy note. Other than that, I really enjoyed my time there," Eovaldi said. The right-hander visited with Yankees players during batting practice and said he still keeps in close contact with Betances and reliever Chasen Shreve.

Yankees: The 23-year-old Loaisiga, from Nicaragua, returned last year from Tommy John surgery. "I think he's really talented. I think he's going to be a really good pitcher in this league," Boone said. "I think there's just a presence about him." Loaisiga was 3-1 with a 4.32 ERA in six starts at Trenton after going 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA at Class A Tampa this season, striking out 58 in 45 innings combined. "Super excited. This is a great opportunity the Yankees are giving me," he.