Kelvin Benjamin, Louis Delmas injuries have major impact

Nov 23, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Miami Dolphins free safety

Louis Delmas

(25) before the game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

On Wednesday the Dolphins and Panthers were having joint practices with each other and both teams had a scare today as the Carolina Panthers had No.1 Wide Receiver Kelvin Benjamin carted off the practice field and the Miami Dolphins had their starting free safety Louis Delmas also get carted off the field.

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Both injuries appeared to be non-contact injuries. With Benjamin it has been reported that his injury is only a knee sprain, which is one of the milder things that it could have been, but Delmas’s injury is unknown, but what is of note is that he injured his right knee, which is the knee in which he tore his ACL last season.

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Both of these injuries could have a big impact on their teams season as they are both big contributors, though Benjamin is much more important to the Panthers. Benjamin is coming off a fantastic rookie year and is looking to build of that this year and avoid the sophomore slump. He was Newton’s most targeted receiver last year and also a major threat in the red zone. Depending on the severity of his knee sprain this injury could have an impact on the Panthers playoff hopes.

Though even a severe knee sprain would only keep him out maximum two or three regular season weeks and that only if it healed quite slowly, that could have a big impact. Benjamin is by far the best wide receiver on a team that has terrible depth at wide receiver.

Without him on the field, the Panthers probably have the worst receiving corps in the league as it only leaves them with the talented tight end Greg Olson, aged Jerricho Cotchery, Corey Brown, Ted Ginn Jr. and rookie Devin Funchess. Outside of Olson and possibly Funchess, non of the other receivers would get a starting job on another NFL team.

Jul 31, 2015; Spartanburg, SC, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin (13) catches a pass during training camp held at Wofford College. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

If he would miss the first two or three games, that could have a big impact on their seasons as they play at Jacksonville, at home against Houston and at home against the Saints. Those games are very winnable for them and they could start their season 3-0, which would be a big help for a team that has a very tough mid-season schedule. Without him the passing game would really stall and hurt the entire offense.

Losing Delmas, especially for the season, could be a big hit for the Dolphins secondary and also their playoff hopes. Delmas and Jones combined are a top five safety combination in the NFL and would really help the weaker cornerbacks outside of Brent Grimes. He is an above average coverage safety and without him the Dolphins would have to play Michael Thomas instead of him. He went undrafted in 2012 and has been on the Dolphins roster for the last two years, but he has only recorded 21 tackles in those two years as he has only started two games in his career.

Summing up, the Dolphins and Panthers both have playoff aspirations and both of those aspirations would take a hit through large injuries to their key players. The next days will tell how severe the injuries were, but until then, there is definitely reason to worry. Injuries are unfortunate, but are a part of football, but it is always sad to see key players go down for their teams.

Next: Panthers or Dolphins able to make a deep run?

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