CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The handcuffs will be off for Pro Bowl middle linebacker Luke Kuechly, wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin and cornerback Bene' Benwikere when the Carolina Panthers open training camp next month.
Coach Ron Rivera said Thursday that all three players that were limited during offseason workouts should be full-go when Carolina holds its first practice on July 28 at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
“My understanding is that they’ll be ready,” Rivera said after the team completed a three-day minicamp. “Now, will we handle each guy differently? Yes, most certainly in individual cases and situations based on injuries, yes.
“Luke with the shoulder, Bené with the ankle and Kelvin with the knee, each one of those guys will have a plan going forward and they’ll be involved from the very beginning.”
Kuechly played through a shoulder injury in the playoffs after suffering a partially torn labrum in the regular-season finale. He underwent surgery in February.
Benjamin suffered a season-ending ACL tear late in training camp last season. Benwikere fractured his left ankle in a December game against Atlanta.
All three participated in individual drills, but not team drills, during organized team activities and this week’s minicamp.
Receivers coach Ricky Proehl said Benjamin could have done more, but trainers opted to bring him along slowly in regaining confidence in the knee.
Benjamin lined up for one running play during team drills on Thursday, but that was symbolic more than anything for Benjamin, who led Carolina wide receivers with 73 catches for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns in 2014.
“Benji is coming back with a vengeance, and I mean it," quarterback Cam Newton said.
Benwikere is expected to take over one of the starting cornerback spots with Pro Bowl cornerback Josh Norman now in Washington. Benwikere worked on the side pushing a blocking sled on Thursday while rookies James Bradberry and Daryl Worley worked with the first-team defense.
Kuechly has been involved in the mental aspect of drills during installation and was held out of team drills as a precaution.
Stephen Hill, who suffered an ACL tear worse than Benjamin’s, might increase his workload on a more gradual basis once camp opens.
“[Benjamin] and Stephen, it’s still going to be a test once they come up and there is a defender across the line," Proehl said. “And that first time they go up and compete for a football, and go up in the air, that’s that mental side of it."