Oct 30, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera looks on during the second quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
The loss of Kelvin Benjamin isn't something the Carolina Panthers will have an immediate answer to. Fortunately, they have a bit of time to figure out who will fill the void left after Benjamin received the brutal news of his torn ACL.
According to Dan Hanzus of NFL.com , head coach Ron Rivera is looking for the next man to step up. While Rivera did state that they need to find answers for replacing Benjamin, he feels confident that things won't change very much offensively.
"I don't know if it changes as much. We drafted Devin Funchess for a reason, and maybe this is one of them," Rivera told NFL.com. "That you want to have a big, quality receiver and Devin gives us that still. We got Teddy Ginn back with the speed. Corey's (Brown) continued to develop."
"We've got the vet in (Jerricho Cotchery) and we've got some young guys that are really fighting and battling and doing a great job. Somebody's going to step up, and it's not going to change what we do. We'll do the things that we do."
The one key point in there from Rivera is that somebody has to step up. The Panthers have quite a bit of talent and depth at the wide receiver position heading into 2015. While it's unknown who the next man up will be, Carolina's current focus on the offensive side of the ball is likely attempting to figure out the answer to that question.
(h/t NFL.com)
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