[vc_row no_margin=”true”][vc_column width=”1/1″]Carolina Panthers receiver Kelvin Benjamin will miss the entire 2015 season after he suffered a torn ACL during Wednesday’s training camp practice in Spartanburg.

About an hour into the first of two joint practices with the Miami Dolphins, Benjamin crumpled to the turf after planting awkwardly in a one-on-one drill against safety Reshad Jones. The non-contact injury to their top receiver is a crushing blow to the Panthers just 25 days before the start of the regular season.

“Obviously, we feel awful for Kelvin,” general manager Dave Gettleman said in a statement. “He’s worked tremendously hard to put himself in a positon 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, who crushed Carolina rookie receiving records, immediately clutched his knee when he went down. Quarterback Cam Newton then helped load him onto a cart. With his head down and tears in his eyes, Benjamin was then driven off the field past Gettleman.

After practice, as Benjamin was heading to Charlotte to undergo an MRI, Rivera held out hope for good news.

“So far, preliminary, it’s a sprain, and until they see otherwise on the MRI, they’ll let me know going forward today,” he said.

But multiple sources told BBR the team immediately feared it was season-ending, and tests were needed to determine how many ligaments were torn.

Coming off a year when he destroyed Panthers’ rookie receiving records, Benjamin was having a dominant camp. Despite worries in the spring about his weight, he reported to Wofford at 238 pounds, seven pounds lighter than he weighed as a rookie.

In Friday’s preseason opener against the Bills, he caught three passes for 36 yards. He took over during a second-quarter scoring drive, drawing a 25-yard pass interference penalty and showing how hard it is for smallish corners to deal with the 6-foot-5 wideout.[line][vc_raw_html]

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