Carolina Panthers

Panthers coach defends Kelvin Benjamin after WR was shamed for being overweight

Published May. 25, 2017 2:24 p.m. ET

Cameron DaSilva

Teams across the NFL are currently in the middle of organized team activities, or as they’re more commonly known, OTAs. They’re completely voluntary for players, and they can’t be punished for skipping them. Just ask Giants wideout Odell Beckham Jr. how he feels about them.

OTAs are the first real step of offseason workouts, and far too often, story lines are blown way out of proportion. To that end, Kelvin Benjamin of the Carolina Panthers has found himself at the center of relentless criticism for his current weight and conditioning.

This photo went viral on Wednesday, showing Benjamin in a tight jersey looking, well, overweight.

https://twitter.com/Marcus_Mosher/status/867511722998992896

That came one day after Twitter had a field day ripping Benjamin for seemingly running a route at half-speed.

https://twitter.com/PanthersBill/status/867004860927004672

If you look at Benjamin in this video, though, you can see he looks a bit slimmer than he does in the photo.

https://twitter.com/Panthers/status/867534493258854400

Not only are there more than three months until the season kicks off, but these workouts are completely voluntary. There’s no requirement to be in attendance, working to improve conditioning and, say, route running.

Benjamin is taking the initiative to get himself in shape after coach Ron Rivera said he showed up “a little heavy” last month. Now, after bringing attention to Benjamin’s weight, Rivera is defending his receiver.

"A lot was made about his weight early on,” Rivera said, via ESPN. “I thought that was unfair because this is all voluntary. He's worked himself into shape. His route running has been very sharp. His ball catching has been real good. The other day he made a spectacular one-handed catch over the middle that shows you what he's capable of doing.”