Receiver Kelvin Benjamin had a great rookie year for the Carolina Panthers, and looked really good catching a touchdown in the preseason opener.
Now Benjamin is lost for the season with a torn ACL.
The team confirmed the injury reports of multiple media outlets, including NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
The injury happened during a joint practice with the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday. Benjamin had to be carted off.
Benjamin was running what looked like any other route you'd see in a practice, then he went down and immediately clutched his left knee in pain. Jeff Zell of WCCB Sports tweeted the video:
According to the Panthers' Twitter feed, teams from both teams gathered around Benjamin, and quarterback Cam Newton was the last player with Benjamin, helping him get on the cart.
Benjamin was Newton's top outside target last year and was slated to play that role again this season — and for many years to come as he develops with Newton. Benjamin was a first-round pick and put up a 73-1,008-9 line as a rookie. His size, at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, is perfect for the red zone and a good benefit to Newton.
Another reason Benjamin's injury is so rough for the Panthers is that they don't have much else at the position. Veteran Jerricho Cotchery is around, Corey Brown is a solid young deep threat, Devin Funchess is another big target who can fill in but he's still a rookie. The past couple years the Panthers have been digging out of a salary-cap fiasco created by the previous regime, and it has affected their depth at many positions. Benjamin missing the season is a big setback for Newton and the entire offense.
The Panthers became the first team to repeat as NFC South champions last season. Their road to winning three in a row got a lot tougher on Wednesday.
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