Panthers rookie receiver Kelvin Benjamin was able to smile after his first NFL injury scare, saying he felt like “a new man” after a precautionary MRI revealed only a bone bruise.
(If that new man was Calvin Johnson, the Panthers’ passing game should be OK.)
Benjamin’s MRI revealed no structural damage, and the indication that his absence will be measured in days rather than weeks.
“I’m coming back even harder, 10 times harder,” Benjamin said, via Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer. “I’m getting a lot of treatment, just get better.”
Benjamin didn’t practice yesterday, and the team has today off, so there’s no rush.
“I think they just want to take their time on it,” he said. “I woke up [Tuesday] morning like a new man. I was telling them it feels way better. But they were still telling me still take your time with it.”
In his absence, the Panthers rotated Marvin McNutt into the starting mix with Jason Avant and Jerricho Cotchery.
And that should tell you all you need to know about the importance of Benjamin’s return.