The Carolina Panthers will not be having their no. 1 wide receiver for the entire 2015 season as Kelvin Benjamin suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee last Wednesday during the team's joint practice with the Miami Dolphins.
ESPN reported that it was a non-contact injury as Benjamin went down while doing a cut participating in a one-on-one pass drill.
Benjamin was holding on to his knee as he stayed down for a moment before being helped to stand up and was carted off the field.
The 24-year-old wide receiver headed to Charlotte for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which later revealed a torn ACL that will make him miss the entire season.
In a statement, Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman said, "Obviously, we feel awful for Kelvin. He's worked tremendously hard to put himself in a position to have a strong year. We're confident he will attack his surgery and rehab with the same determination he has met all challenges before."
Benjamin was the 28th overall pick by Carolina in the 2014 National Football League (NFL) Draft and became a major part of their offense last season.
He had an impressive rookie year having 78 receptions for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns in 16 regular season games played.
In the postseason, Benjamin had 11 receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns in two playoff games.
The injury is a tough blow for the Panthers who will be missing the significant offensive contributions of Benjamin.
Two likely replacements for the injured receiver are veteran Jerricho Cotchery and rookie Devin Funchess.
Cotchery played in 15 games last season and had 48 receptions for 580 yards with one touchdown.
Meanwhile Funchess, who was drafted 41st overall by the Panthers in the 2015 NFL Draft, is nursing a hamstring injury suffered during Wednesday's practice.
The Panthers are hoping for a better finish after a 7–8–1 record during the 2014 season, although they made it to the postseason beating the Arizona Cardinals in the Wild Card Playoffs but lost to the Seattle Seahawks in the next round.
