NFL Rumors: Miami Dolphins Claim Bene Benwikere From Carolina Panthers

Bene Benwikere had a really awful day against the Atlanta Falcons, so bad that he was waived by the Carolina Panthers. Despite that, though, the 25-year-old is being given another chance in the NFL. Benwikere has been claimed by the Miami Dolphins, as reported by ESPN. The team desperately need depth in the secondary.

During a week four meeting with the Atlanta Falcons, the Carolina Panthers were thoroughly humiliated when their NFC South rival put up 503 passing yards. Superstar wide receiver Julio Jones provided the Falcons with more than 300 yards. Bene Benwikere was responsible for a good amount of those yards.

At this point in the season, NFL teams are grasping for help wherever they can. Most of the good players are already firmly entrenched on a roster somewhere. Bene Benwikere might have been discarded by the Carolina Panthers, but his experience is deemed worthy enough of a chance by other general managers.

Ex-Panthers CB Bene Benwikere claimed off waivers by Dolphins – via @ESPN App https://t.co/VzBAby1eV8

— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) October 10, 2016

The Miami Dolphins have not had a lot of luck with their starting corner backs thus far this season. Management took a gamble by trading for Byron Maxwell from the Philadelphia Eagles, even though the veteran has struggled mightily since signing as a free agent. Maxwell has already been benched by the Dolphins.

The other starting corner back is a rookie. Xavien Howard has shown some spark, but he has also made mistakes that you would expect from someone that has no experience in the NFL. To make matters worse, Howard has suffered some sort of knee injury, which has slowed him down tremendously.

With the injury to Xavien Howard, the Miami Dolphins are not certain when the rookie will be back at full strength. Knee injuries are harder on defensive backs because they constantly have to shift to keep up with wide receivers. That has given Byron Maxwell another chance to prove that he still belongs in the NFL.

Putting on a Miami Dolphins jersey was not something that Bene Benwikere expected when the season started. He was given an opportunity by the Carolina Panthers to attempt to replace Josh Norman, who left in free agency to sign a huge contract with the Washington Redskins, on the depth chart.

Interestingly enough, Bene Benwikere had an opportunity to reunite with Josh Norman. The Washington Redskins put in a claim for the third year defensive back as well, as reported by Bleacher Report. The New York Jets were the other team that attempted to claim Benwikere before the Miami Dolphins were awarded the California native.

With Bene Benwikere gone, the Carolina Panthers are lacking experience in a big way at the corner back positions. Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team will go with defensive backs that have a year or less of experience, including rookies such as Daryl Worley and Zack Sanchez.

Bene Benwikere is not considered a shutdown corner back in the NFL. However, he might need to defend against the top wide receivers for the Miami Dolphins. Many believe that Benwikere would be better off as a slot corner back on a good defense.

Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has to patch up the defense while he waits for the return of Chris Culliver, who is recovering from a knee injury. That’s essentially the window of opportunity for Bene Benwikere to prove that he belongs in the playing rotation.

It’s not often that people get second and third chances in the NFL. Whenever those opportunities present itself, players need to capitalize because their careers could be over at the snap of a finger. Bene Benwikere needs to prove that he belongs on this level.

[Featured Image by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images]