Carolina Panthers: The Return of Kelvin Benjamin
Carolina Panthers fans and players alike wait with excitement for Kelvin Benjamin‘s return to team practice drills.
The Carolina Panthers are headed back to organized team activities (OTAs) with a growing mound of expectations. With their first week of activities behind them, there are a number of compelling stories to watch on both sides of the ball. One of the most interesting stories to watch is whether or not Kelvin Benjamin rejoins the team for 11-on-11 drills.
Benjamin’s return is a sight that fans and leaders within the organization are waiting to see with baited breath. Even though he was drafted in 2014, the 2016 season will be his second once he makes it back to the regular season with the Panthers.
There are high hopes for his impact on the Panthers’ receiving core after spending much of 2014 becoming an important weapon for Cam Newton. Coming into this season, his inclusion creates a number of mismatches that opposing teams will have a challenging time dealing with on every down.
Last week Benjamin returned to OTAs but in a limited role. He returned during the third day of OTAs and participated in one-on-one drills; which was his first time practicing with the rest of the team in any capacity since the knee injury that forced him out of the entire 2015 season. According to Max Henson of Panthers.com, the Charlotte organization is taking the “slow and steady” approach with their star receiver.
“We have time – so why rush it?” Benjamin said. “I am coming back off an injury, so I just want to get back out there and get the pace of the offense again and get real comfortable with the plays. They did a lot of things different last year than my first year. I just want to get back out and get into the offense.”
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Those things different were initially meant to accommodate for Benjamin’s absence, but eventually became commonplace for this powerful offense. It will be interesting to see how Benjamin’s return will benefit multiple aspects of this office.
One interesting place of comparison is how often the Panthers ran the ball versus passing in 2014 and 2015. In 2014, the team attempted 545 passes as compared to 502 in 2015. Rushing attempts were at 473 in 2014 and rose to 526 in 2015.
Benjamin wasn’t the only catalyst that caused that change, but his absence, especially in the early portion of the season, played a role in the type of game plans that the Panthers put together.
With Benjamin back in the roster, Carolina has a potent passing attack that is built around size and speed. Benjamin and Devin Funchess are 6’5″ and 6’4″, respectively, and two very big options for Newton. When they are paired with Greg Olsen’s size and consistency, Ted Ginn‘s speed and Jerricho Cotchery’s experience, it will be quite a sight to see how teams pair up against all of those options.
This doesn’t even include the contributions of fullback Mike Tolbert and running back Jonathan Stewart. This is quite an offense that can exceed the stellar numbers the Panthers put up last season.
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Nearly every team in the league has a big return that is expected to have an impact on the organization. For the Carolina Panthers, Kelvin Benjamin is that guy. Even though he hasn’t participated in team drills, everyone is waiting to see when he lines up and catches his first pass from Newton during the off season.