Last season, before he was injured, Carolina Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin looked like an all-pro receiver. The general consensus among those in the media was that he had raised his game to a new level.

Now, in 2016, Benjamin appears to be getting that swagger back.

Benjamin’s performance for the first Carolina Panthers practice stood above. Ricky Proehl watched with a look of pure joy on his face as his primary weapon was once again on the playing field.

Benjamin caught numerous passes from Cam Newton while running a variety of routes. Rookies James Bradeberry and Daryl Worley both were victimized by Benjamin, never getting the best of him. The Carolina Panthers are depending on Bradberry and Worley to have an accelerated learning curve. Clearly, facing Kelvin Benjamin in practice will go a long way in providing the experience needed. If they can learn to cover Benjamin adequately, covering Julio Jones becomes much less daunting a task. This is a trial by fire for the rookie corners, and the temperature can be measured in Kelvin.

I don’t want to get ahead of myself. Yes, this was just the first of many training camp practices. But this was the first action Benjamin has seen in nearly a year. This practice can safely be described an important first test. A test that Benjamin passed with flying colors.

Cam Newton recently said that Kelvin Benjamin would be “back with a vengeance.” So far, that prediction is spot on.