Carolina Panthers: Dealing With Loss of Kelvin Benjamin

By Raphael Garcia | Aug 20, 2015

The Carolina Panthers received horrible news when it became official that wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin will miss the entire season due to a torn ACL in his left knee, as reported by David Newton of ESPN. Losing their primary target will impact the team drastically. The team has limited options on the roster at this time and will potentially have to look into the free agent market to bolster their receiving corps.

ALSO ON SPIN ZONE: NFL’s 50 Most Untradeable Players For 2015

The effect of losing Benjamin for the entire season is going to be monumental. The second-year player was tied with tight end Greg Olsen with 1,008 receiving yards in 2014. When coupled with his nine touchdowns, it was clear that the Panthers had major expectations for the wideout coming into this year. Now, the Panthers will have to look to key players on their roster and beyond to respond.

More from Carolina Panthers

First up are the players that are currently a part of the Carolina team.

Olsen will continue to be one of the main targets for Cam Newton. His production has steadily increased since joining the Panthers in 2011. Last season he was targeted 123 times while making 84 catches, which translates to a near 70 percent reception rate when Olsen is the target. His size and experience will be vital for the receiving core that is comprised of mostly young players.

That brings the conversation to rookie Devin Funchess. Funchess is another big receiver that the Panthers selected in the 2015 NFL Draft. He was being ushered into an important role slowly during the off-season and training camp, but with Benjamin’s injury he is going to have to take the reins of the receiving unit. Unfortunately for the Panthers, Newton also reported that Funchess is dealing with an injured hamstring injury from Wednesday’s practice.

Rounding out the current set of weapons are Jerricho Cotchery and Ted Ginn, Jr. Both are viable supplemental weapons within this Panthers offense, but neither man has consistently shown that he can carry the load as the main option within an offense.

Cotchery is entering his 12th season. Since his highest output in 2007, his performance steadily declined until the increase that occurred last season with the Panthers. With Benjamin down, the team could benefit to use his experience during key phases this year.

Ginn, Jr. still hasn’t shown the improvement of being a player that was selected as a first round draft pick. Since being selected by Miami in 2007 he has yet to earn more than 500 receiving yards in one season.

When coupled with the injury to Stephen Hill earlier this month (as reported by Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer), the Panthers receiving corps is nearly depleted. There are potential answers through free agency.

Reggie Wayne and Wes Welker are two free agents who can be used to fill the holes in this lineup. Both men were very productive throughout their careers and have big game experience that adds to the value that a short-term deal would bring to both sides.

It doesn’t matter what strategy the Panthers use to deal with their weaken receiver core, the fact is that they need to make moves now. The expectations were high coming into the 2015 season and losing one of their main offensive weapons hurts any hopes. Players currently on the roster need to step up while the front office looks to those waiting in free agency.

Next: The Five Most Important Players For The Carolina Panthers

More from NFL Spin Zone

Home/Carolina Panthers