Carolina Panthers worried Kelvin Benjamin will be double teamed
By Bryan Rose
No, the Carolina Panthers don’t have a stout group of wide receivers though they do have some promising young talent like Kelvin Benjamin.
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Expected to be Cam Newton’s number one target, Benjamin should be in line for a big year. Of course, opposing defensive coordinators are also aware of Newton’s fondness for Benjamin and to combat the issue it’s believed the former Florida State star will be dealing with constant double team coverage.
"Veterans Jason Avant and Jerricho Cotchery are possession receivers, and there is concern among some in the organization that Benjamin will face a barrage of double coverage without another fast wideout to stretch the field."
The aforementioned Avant and Cotchery along with tight end Greg Olsen are expected to be next in line for attempts after Kelvin Benjamin, though the assumption is that each player can be handled in one-on-one coverage given their average (at best) foot speed.
Granted, the Carolina Panthers did sign fellow wide receiver Stephen Hill on Tuesday though he’s currently on the practice squad and it’s not as if he’s impressed during his short NFL career. Needless to say, it sounds like Kelvin Benjamin will be having to deal with double (and possibly triple) coverage for the majority of the upcoming season until somebody on the Carolina offense can prove themselves to be a receiving threat.
As if being a rookie in the NFL wasn’t difficult enough, now Kelvin Benjamin has to deal with the type of respect usually directed towards Pro Bowl talent. Not exactly what he was hoping for.