Panthers' fans received bad news from practice on Wednesday after it was reported that second-year wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin was carted off the field with a left knee injury. Although it's still unclear as to how severe the issue is, it was reportedly a non-contact injury which is usually never good. Benjamin hauled in 73 passes for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns during his rookie campaign and the Panthers' offense will take a big hit if he's forced to miss extensive time. Look for Devin Funchess to move up the depth chart into the No. 1 spot during Benjamin's likely absence.
Darren McFadden was impressive during 11-on-11 drills on Tuesday which would suggest that he's now fully healthy after a nagging hamstring injury kept him out of the first few days of training camp. Injury concerns have surrounded the 27-year old running back ever since he entered the league back in 2008, as he only played one full season during his first seven years in Oakland. McFadden signed with Dallas earlier this offseason in hopes to get a fresh start behind arguably the best offensive line in the league. His recent performance would represent a good sign for a Cowboys' team who'll look to replace All-Pro running back Demarco Murray who left for Philadelphia earlier this spring. McFadden's career year came back in 2010 when he rushed for 1,157 yards and seven touchdowns in just 13 games, but since then he's been fairly ineffective due to all of the injuries. He'll likely be the third-down back entering the season, as teammate Joseph Randle is likely to receive the starting role as of now. If Randle would happen to go down with an injury, McFadden will instantly become a top-ten option at the running back position.
Victor Cruz missed practice on Wednesday with minor calf discomfort and it's likely that the fifth-year wide receiver was simply dehydrated. The issue is not at all related to the season-ending knee injury that required him to have surgery back in October. Cruz burst onto the scene back in 2011 when he hauled in 82 passes for 1,536 yards and nine touchdowns, and he followed that up nicely in 2012 with 86 catches for 1,092 yards and 10 scores. The star wide receiver went down with the serious knee injury in Week 6 of last season, which led to the emergence of teammate Odell Beckham Jr. who had a spectacular rookie year. The Giants will be cautious with Cruz throughout the remainder of camp to ensure that he's healthy for the start of the regular season. It should be interesting to see how the two receivers perform on the field at the same time, and they should certainly make the Giants' offense a lot more difficult to defend. Eli Manning will be the main beneficiary now that he has two elite weapons to get the ball to, and he definitely should not be ignored on draft day.
The big news from Titans' camp involves their first-round draft pick and new franchise quarterback, Marcus Mariota. He threw his first interception of training camp during Tuesday's practice, and it came on his 231st pass attempt of the summer. It's been made well known that Mariota is a high character guy and that the Titans fell in love with him the moment they met him. The rookie quarterback is already showing signs of being very efficient and seems to understand how important each possession is. He threw an interception in the opening preseason game and the coaching staff fully expects some hiccups early on, but they have to be happy with what they've seen from him so far.
Charles Clay has been very impressive throughout training camp and figures to play a big role in the Bills' offense in 2015. The 26-year old tight end played his first four seasons in Miami before signing with Buffalo earlier this offseason on a five-year deal. It's well known that new offensive coordinator Greg Roman likes to get his tight ends very involved in his offense and Clay will certainly receive the majority of the snaps at that position this season. Clay will likely see a high volume of targets considering the inexperience at the quarterback position and he should be a great option during trips to the red-zone. Although he's been ranked in the area of No. 20 on most tight end boards, Clay will likely outperform that spot, and could be of great value for those who end up selecting him.
Greg Jennings has made a great impression on his coaches and teammates throughout training camp, and it looks like he might have a good shot to be the No. 2 receiver behind clear No. 1, Jarvis Landry. Along with Jennings, the Dolphins acquired Kenny Stills during the offseason and they also drafted DeVante Parker in the first round in hopes to solidify a receiving corps that's been very inconsistent over the last couple of years. The coaching staff is very pleased with how Jennings has went out of his way to mentor the younger receivers, and it could possibly lead to more time on the field for the 10-year veteran.