NASHVILLE, Tenn.
Panthers receiver Kelvin Benjamin couldn’t believe it when I told him he only played nine snaps in Saturday’s exhibition against Tennessee.
“It felt like less than that,” Benjamin said.
He only played in half of the first-team offense’s snaps and he wants more.
The Panthers have been cautious with Benjamin, easing him back into the fold one year after his ACL tear. Panthers coach Ron Rivera raised eyebrows in the media two weeks ago when he said Benjamin should get about 30-35 snaps in the Week 1 game at Denver.
That’s about half of what Benjamin averaged his rookie season, and it seemed Benjamin’s conditioning was the reason for the low snap count Saturday.