SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Kelvin Benjamin made an impressive return to the football field Thursday night as the defending NFC champion Carolina Panthers opened training camp.In his first practice since tearing the ACL in his left knee last August, Benjamin made four tough catches, reminding the more than 22,445 fans at Gibbs Stadium of just how valuable the 6-foot-5, 245-pound wide receiver is to the Panthers offense.Coach Ron Rivera admitted he was impressed.I dont want to say he was in top form, but he was in pretty doggone good form, Rivera said.Benjamin had 73 receptions for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns as a rookie in 2014, but tore his ACL last August at training camp and missed the teams run to the Super Bowl.Benjamin ran swift, sharp routes and showed no ill effects from last years surgery. He leaped in the air to snag two passes and reached behind to grab another.Im just happy for him, Panthers wide receivers coach Ricky Proehl said. Its a confidence builder. You go out and perform like he did, make catches over the middle, make contested catches with somebody draped on him, it was huge. Anytime you get that first catch out of the way, its huge, especially coming off an injury.Benjamin was not made available for interviews.The Panthers had the leagues top scoring offense last season and finished 17-2 despite losing Benjamin. The team is excited about adding him to the mix.Kelvins retention as far what were doing, he handled that really well by the way he ran the routes and attacked the football, Rivera said. There will be a lot of good things for us to see on tape.The 25-year-old Benjamin wasnt the only wide receiver to have a solid night following a return from an injury.Stephen Hill, who also tore an ACL in his knee last year in training camp, and Philly Brown, who is coming off shoulder surgery, also made big catches during practice.Im just so proud of those guys, Proehl said. Theyve worked so hard, and to see them go out there and do what they did tonight, it warms my heart. Theyre like my kids. To see them go out there and perform like they did, thats such a confidence builder for them.Rivera said that starting defensive tackle Star Lotulelei was held out of practice as a precautionary measure after his hamstring tightened up in conditioning tests on Wednesday.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFLMike Williams Chargers Jersey . The deal is pending a physical, assistant general manager Bobby Evans said. Traded from Seattle to Baltimore on Aug. 30, Morse also can play first base and right field to give manager Bruce Bochy some flexibility in writing his lineup. Antonio Gates Womens Jersey . -- The boos poured down on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots at the end of a horrible first half. http://www.chargersauthenticofficialonline.com/authentic-joey-bosa-jersey.html . The Vikings announced Thursday that Priefer will be one of seven holdovers from the previous staff, along with offensive line coach Jeff Davidson, wide receivers coach George Stewart and others. Norv Turner will mark his 30th year of coaching in the NFL as the offensive co-ordinator, as widely reported for weeks, and George Edwards will be the defensive co-ordinator. Joey Bosa Youth Jersey . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said. Derwin James Womens Jersey . - Connor McDavid scored 53 seconds into overtime as the Erie Otters came from behind to defeat the visiting Guelph Storm 4-3 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. NORMAL, Ill. -- Deontae Hawkins knocked down five 3-pointers and finished with 24 points and seven boards as Illinois State beat Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne in its home opener, 75-57 on Wednesday night.Hawkins hit 9 of 15 from the field, including 5 of 7 from distance ln leading the Redbirds. MiKyle McIntosh contributed 13 points.Illinois State raced to a 19-2 lead to start the game and held a 41-24 advantage at intermission.Fort Wayne got within nine points, 53-44 with 12:39 left in the game after John Konchar tipped in an offensive rebound, but the Redbirds scored the next five points to push their lead back to double digits.ddddddddddddo Evans knocked down five 3-pointers to lead Fort Wayne with 19 points. Konchar added 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds.Illinois State (1-1) is picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference; Fort Wayne (1-2) is the preseason favorite to win the Summit League. ' ' '