Kelvin Benjamin earned some criticism from Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera for showing up to offseason workouts out of shape.
After the team’s minicamp had concluded, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer noted Benjamin seems to have worked himself back into shape. Though, he also alluded to the fact there is a lot of time between now and training camp.
“…Benjamin needs to show up to Spartanburg looking like he did the final day of minicamp, when he reached down to pluck a pass a couple inches off the grass and got both feet inbounds. A guy with too big of a beer gut doesn’t make that play. Trust me.”
When healthy, Benjamin is a tremendous weapon for Cam Newton. But he’ll certainly be fighting for touches this upcoming season, meaning he’ll need to be in great shape.
The Panthers drafted Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel, both of whom are good enough to demand plenty of action as rookies. Throw in Devin Funchess and Charles Johnson and it’s clear there is plenty of competition to be had this summer and fall.