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Who the hell is Trinity Benson? An inactive WR for the Detroit Lions

Who the hell is Trinity Benson? A receiver who can't get on the field for the injury-depleted Detroit Lions.

Less than two months after they traded a pair of draft picks to acquire him, the Lions de-activated Benson for today's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Benson has been a bit player on offense this season, even after the Lions lost two of their top pass catchers to injury. Tyrell Williams has not played since Week 1 because of a brain injury, and Quintez Cephus underwent surgery for a broken collar bone this week.

Detroit Lions wide receiver Trinity Benson (17) walks into the tunnel after the Lions lost 41-33 to San Francisco 49ers at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021.
Detroit Lions wide receiver Trinity Benson (17) walks into the tunnel after the Lions lost 41-33 to San Francisco 49ers at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021.

In September, first-year Lions general manager Brad Holmes traded fifth- and seventh-round draft choices next spring to the Denver Broncos for Benson and a sixth-round pick in 2023.

Holmes said after the trade, he was largely unfamiliar with Benson until one of his top personnel men brought the receiver to his attention.

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"I had the same response as probably everybody else had and I said, ‘Who the hell is Trinity Benson?’" Holmes said in September.

Benson has six catches for 55 yards in five games this season, but he had a drop and missed a key block on a bubble screen last week.

The Lions (0-5) have five receivers on their gameday roster: Kalif Raymond, Amon-Ra St. Brown, KhaDarel Hodge, Geronimo Allison and Tom Kennedy.

Hodge played as the Lions' X receiver, over Benson, after Cephus was injured last week. Kennedy is active for just the second game this season. And the Lions elevated Allison from their practice squad Saturday.

Tight end T.J. Hockenson, outside linebacker Trey Flowers and running backs D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams are active for the Lions after being listed as questionable on the team's Friday injury report.

Bengals leading rusher Joe Mixon, who was questionable to play with a sprained ankle, is active for Cincinnati (3-2).

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions inactives: Trinity Benson out vs. Bengals