A week after returning from one hamstring injury, second-year Panthers receiver Kelvin Benjamin has another hamstring injury that caused him to miss Wednesday’s minicamp practice.
Benjamin said the injury to his right hamstring will likely keep him out of Thursday’s final minicamp practice, and Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera believes the hamstring issues could be related to Benjamin showing up to OTAs (organized team activities) overweight.
According to a team source, Benjamin, who played last season at 245 pounds, showed up to offseason workouts eight to nine pounds overweight.
“He did come in a little heavy and he had to work himself into shape. Or diet or something. We’re going to take a look at it and make sure it’s not a chronic issue with him. He’s too good a football player to have on the sideline.”
This isn’t the first time Benjamin has shown up to a camp overweight. He was so overweight when he first arrived to Florida State—reportedly 20 pounds—that Seminoles coaches couldn’t justify putting him on the field and used a redshirt for him.
We're not that concerned about a few extra pounds of weight, but if it's causing hamstring issues, then we start to worry. Benjamin had a strong rookie season, finishing as the #15 WR in PPR formats and #16 in standard leagues. However, after his team’s Week 12 bye, Benjamin was just the #42 WR the rest of the way. Benjamin admitted to suffering from mental fatigue as a rookie, which is understandable given how much he was asked to do in his first year.
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