It is no secret that Kelvin Benjamin has struggled with conditioning issues throughout his NFL career, and it appears the star receiver has a long way to go before he is considered in shape for the 2017 season.
With the Panthers having begun organized team activities this week, team reporter Bill Voth shared a video on Tuesday of Benjamin running a route. It was not pretty.
A look at Benjamin pic.twitter.com/AynuopSyLb
— Bill Voth (@PanthersBill) May 23, 2017
While there’s no way to know if he was running full speed, Benjamin looks incredibly doughy and out of shape. Panthers coach Ron Rivera admitted a few weeks ago that Benjamin was “a little heavy,” and it sure seems like that comment still applies.
The Panthers decided to pick up the fifth-year option on Benjamin’s rookie deal, which means he is under contract with the team through 2018. However, they could still release him next March before the start of the new league year without penalty.
It’s premature to talk about Carolina parting ways with Benjamin, especially since he has caught 16 touchdown passes in his two NFL seasons (he missed all of 2015 with a knee injury). However, when you take into account the conditioning issues and what happened with the former Florida State star late last season, you have to wonder if the team is growing tired of him.
