ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Kelvin Benjamin stands 6 feet 5 inches and weighs 245 pounds—an imposing physical presence who practiced for the first time with the Bills on Monday. 

However, mentally melding with his new team is the big challenge. Days after arriving in a trade from Carolina, Benjamin spent the weekend in Orchard Park poring through the playbook while the rest of the players were off.

"Holding myself to a higher standard," Benjamin said. "I wanted to get in, just learn the playbook. Just get a jumpstart on it. You know the playbook, you definitely can play fast with knowing it.

Head coach Sean McDermott, who knew Benjamin from their days together with the Panthers, was impressed by his desire to get up to speed.

"It showed me his commitment,” McDermott said. "He moved up here in a very short amount of time and I offered him the chance to go home and get some clothes and get organized. And he said 'No, coach. I want to stay and get this offense down.'"

McDermott is planning to have Benjamin in the lineup on Sunday when the Bills take on the Saints. He represents a big target for quarterback Tyrod Taylor and the offense, both in size and past production. His 475 receiving yards this season are nearly twice as many as the Bills leading receiver.

"You have a threat outside that if you want to go one-on-one out there, that's on you. And then that opens up the run game," McDermott said.

While fans might expect the new addition to be a difference-maker for a Bills receiving corps that has struggled to break out this fall, Benjamin says he doesn't feel any extra pressure to perform.

"They've been winning. They've been winning without me," he said. "I'm just coming in, just adding an extra target for Tyrod. They've got players all around the board from Deonte Thompson, to Jordan Matthews, to LeSean McCoy. You can go on and on. I'm just coming to help. That's all I want to do is come help them win games."

If the Bills showed they're serious about snapping their 17-year playoff drought this year by trading for Benjamin, he's ready to prove them right.  While still playing for the Panthers, he noticed the Bills on a highlight video shown in the stadium. It was the much-talked about play from Buffalo's win over the Raiders, in which receiver Brandon Tate was mobbed on the sidelines by his teammates after converting a first down on 2nd and 20. Benjamin was struck by the vibe in Orchard Park while watching from afar.

"I think the time is now. The time is now," he said. "You could see it. You could just see the energy changing. You could see how these guys are coming to work. You could see how they play. You could see one guy make a play when the whole team's running out there on the field, that says a lot."

Benjamin's play could have a lot to say about the Bills' fortunes down the stretch.