Photo Credit: Bob Leverone/Associated Press
About a week ago, I made my predictions on which 2014 rookies were going to have a sophomore slump and it looks like one of them came true for an unfortunate reason. As reported by ESPN, Carolina Panthers WR Kelvin Benjamin has sustained a torn ACL in his left knee which has taken his season away from him. The injury occurred during a joint practice with the Miami Dolphins and is said to have occurred during a drill with Dolphins safety Reshad Jones.
Benjamin was about to start his second season in the NFL with a tremendous rookie season behind him. After the loss of Steve Smith, Benjamin was the Panthers first-string wide receiver and now it looks like that job will be handed over to rookie, Devin Funchess. If Funchess is going to step up and be Benjamin’s replacement, he’s going to have to get healthy too. It has been reported that Funchess has a hamstring injury, however, it is unclear how severe Funchess’s injury is.
In his career so far, Benjamin has 9 touchdowns, 73 catches and 1,008 receiving yards which is pretty good for a rookie. Benjamin played in all of the Carolina Panthers games last season too, making a good target for Panthers QB Cam Newton. His absence is certainly going to be a big void in the Panthers offensive line.
Since his injury, Benjamin has not released a statement, but Panthers GM Dave Gettleman praised Benjamin. He also gave some hope to the fans, “Obviously, we feel awful for Kelvin, He’s worked tremendously hard to put himself in a position to have a strong year. We’re confident he will attack his surgery and rehab with the same determination he has met all challenges before.” Here’s hoping that Kelvin Benjamin comes back healthier and ready to play!
