Kelvin Benjamin leaves practice with knee sprain, will have MRI
Some bad news for Falcons’ division rivals, as the Carolina Panthers’ wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin has suffered a knee injury in practice. It’s been initially diagnosed as a knee sprain, but he will undergo an MRI scan to find out the severity of the injury.
Ron Rivera says WR Kelvin Benjamin sustained a sprained knee and will undergo an MRI. #PanthersCamp
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) August 19, 2015
#Panthers await word on extent of Kelvin Benjamin's knee injury sustained in practice: http://t.co/p5kMdfqlrc pic.twitter.com/bFiG9w4p1C
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) August 19, 2015
This could be a huge blow for the Panthers. Benjamin was the leading receiver in 2014 and was tied with tight end Greg Olsen for receiving yards with 1,008. As a rookie, Benjamin put up nine receiving touchdowns.
Carolina added another big receiver in Devin Funchess via the draft, and he will need to step up should Benjamin miss any regular season action. Funchess reportedly suffered a hamstring tweak in practice Wednesday, and could himself be sidelined a few days.
Rookie WR Devin Funchess "tweaked" his hamstring, per Rivera. Could be out for a few days.
— Max Henson (@maxhenson) August 19, 2015
Despite playing for a rival team, we wish Benjamin a speedy recovery. Injuries are an unfortunate fact in the NFL, and it’s never good to see someone go down, no matter what team they play for.
The Falcons don’t play the Panthers until December. The first meeting takes place on the road December 13, with the rematch at the Georgia Dome two weeks later on December 27.
Stay tuned to Blogging Dirty as we find out more information on this injury.