Bené Benwikere

Bené Benwikere
refer to caption
Benwikere with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2017
No. 23 – Arizona Cardinals
Position: Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1991-09-03) September 3, 1991
Fontana, California
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight: 195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school: Junípero Serra
(Gardena, California)
College: San Jose State
NFL Draft: 2014 / Round: 5 / Pick: 148
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 5, 2018
Total tackles: 122
Sacks: 1.5
Forced fumbles: 3
Pass deflections: 23
Interceptions: 3
Player stats at NFL.com

Bené Sylvion Benwikere (/bəˈneɪ bɛnˈwɪkəriː/; bə-NAY ben-WIK-ə-ree; born September 3, 1991)[1] is an American football cornerback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at San Jose State.

Early life

Benwikere grew up in Los Angeles; his father immigrated to the United States from Nigeria.[2] As a freshman, Benwikere attended View Park High School and played eight-man football before transferring to Junípero Serra High School in Gardena, California.[3] In his first year at Serra, he earned a starting cornerback spot. The Serra Cavaliers included future NFL players such as Marqise Lee, Robert Woods, Paul Richardson, and George Farmer.[2] As a senior, Benwikere helped Serra win the 2009 California Interscholastic Federation Division 3 title.

A three-sport letterwinner, Benwikere also played basketball and was a sprinter (11.0s in the 100m) and jumper on the track team.[4][5]

Benwikere attended football camp at UCLA during high school and had scholarship offers from San Jose State, Iowa State, New Mexico, San Diego State, and UNLV.[6]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40‡ Commit date
Bené Benwikere
CB		 Los Angeles, CA Junípero Serra HS 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 4.5 Feb 2, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 101 (CB), 76 (school)   Rivals: 75 (CB), 101 (school)  247Sports: 75 (CB), 106 (CA), 93 (school)  ESPN: 75 (CB), 141 (CA)
  • ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2010 San Jose St. Football Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  • "2010 San Jose State College Football Team Recruiting Prospects". Scout.com. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  • "San Jose State Spartans 2010 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  • "2010 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  • "San Jose State 2010 Football Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved September 8, 2014.

College career

Benwikere committed to San Jose State on February 2nd, 2010. He was part of coach Mike MacIntyre's first recruiting class at San Jose State, and Benwikere played under MacIntyre from 2010 to 2012 and Ron Caragher in 2013.

As a true freshman in 2010, he played in all 13 games and made 9 starts. During his sophomore year, he played in ten games and made two starts. In 2012, Benwikere was named first-team All-WAC. He played in 13 games and started 8. Benwikere scored two defensive touchdowns off a 37-yard fumble recovery against New Mexico State and 47-yard interception return against Idaho.[3] On November 24 against Louisiana Tech, Benwikere tied a San Jose State record with three interceptions.[7] In San Jose State's victory over Bowling Green in the 2012 Military Bowl, Benwikere blocked a punt for a safety.[8]

In his senior season in 2013, Benwikere was named first-team All-MWC, started 11 games, and had a streak of four consecutive games with an interception. In his San Jose State career, Benwikere had 214 tackles (including 11.5 for loss), 3 forced fumbles, 2 fumbles recovered (1 returned for touchdown), 14 interceptions (1 returned for touchdown), and 22 passes broken up.[3] Benwikere graduated from San Jose State with a B.A. in sociology.[9]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Ht Wt Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert jump Broad BP
5 ft 11 in
(1.80 m)		 195 lb
(88 kg)		 30 in
(0.76 m)		 9 1⁄8 in
(0.23 m)		 4.63 s 4.38 s 6.94 s 40 1⁄2 in
(1.03 m)		 10 ft 2 in
(3.10 m)		 10 reps
All values are from the NFL Scouting Combine.[10]

Carolina Panthers

Benwikere (#25) and Marlon Brown.

Benwikere was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round (148th overall pick) of the 2014 NFL Draft. The Panthers traded their fifth and seventh round selections to the Minnesota Vikings in order to draft him. Following his selection, Panthers general manager, Dave Gettleman noted how he considered Benwikere to have a fourth round value.[2]

2014 season

On May 20, 2014, Benwikere signed a four-year $2.42 million contract. As a rookie, during the preseason, Benwikere won the starting nickel corner position on the Panther defense over veteran Charles Godfrey.[11] On his NFL debut on September 7, 2014 in Carolina's 20-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Benwikere had 4 tackles, 1 pass deflection, and a recovery of a forced fumble by teammate Luke Kuechly on Tampa running back Bobby Rainey.[12][13] Benwikere's fumble recovery enabled Carolina to run out the clock en route to their victory.[12] In a week 2 victory over the Detroit Lions, Benwikere allowed only 20% of his targets to catch a pass, had a pressure, and recorded a pass deflection that was nearly picked off by teammate, Star Lotulelei.[14] Through the first two weeks of the season, Pro Football Focus rated Benwikere as the second best cornerback in the NFL, allowing a completion percentage of only 44.4% of passes thrown in his area.

In the first half of the October 5 game against the Chicago Bears, Benwikere left the game in the first half after twisting his ankle.[15] As of November 9, Benwikere has been inactive.[13] In the Panthers week 14 game against the New Orleans Saints, Benwikere recorded his first NFL interception against Saints quarterback Drew Brees. Despite giving up 8 catches on 10 targets against the Saints, he only gave up 48 yards and his rating when targeted was a 47.1.[16] Benwikere didn't allow a single touchdown in 254 snaps and 45 targets (best among rookie corners who played at least 25 percent of their team's snaps).[17] On December 23, 2014, Benwikere was named to the Sports Illustrated 2014 All-Rookie Team.[17] Over the final eight weeks of the regular season, Pro Football Focus rated Benwikere as the best cover corner in the NFL.[18] During the Panthers playoff victory over the Arizona Cardinals, Benwikere gave up only one reception for 21 yards for the game.[19] On January 13, 2015, Benwikere was named to the ProFootball Focus 2014 All-Rookie Team. He was also named to the All-Rookie teams for both ESPN and Sports Illustrated. For his rookie season, Benwikere allowed a rookie-low 72.9 opposing quarterback rating, no touchdowns, and was the third best in the NFL in the yards per reception allowed in 459 regular-season snaps.[20]

2015 season

With the Panthers acquisition of Charles Tillman during the offseason, Benwikere was named the Panthers starting nickelback to open the season.[21] Through the first three weeks of the season, the only two cornerbacks who were targeted 20 or more times and had not allowed a pass for more than 16 yards were Benwikere and teammate, Josh Norman. During the Panthers 44-16 victory over the Washington Redskins, Benwikere recorded his first career strip-sack against quarterback Kirk Cousins and only allowed 14 receiving yards in his zone. On December 13, during a game against the Atlanta Falcons, Benwikere suffered a fractured leg, and was placed on season-ending injury reserve.

On February 7, 2016, Benwikere's Panthers played in Super Bowl 50. In the game, the Panthers fell to the Denver Broncos by a score of 24–10.[22]

2016 season

On October 7, Benwikere was released by Carolina after the Panthers defense allowed 300 receiving yards[23] to Atlanta Falcons' wide receiver Julio Jones for only the sixth such occurrence in NFL history. Benwikere admitted having some "conditioning issues", allowing the Falcons' Jones to get a step on him.[24]

Miami Dolphins

Benwikere was claimed off waivers by the Miami Dolphins on October 10, 2016.[25] He was released by the Dolphins on November 8, and was re-signed to the practice squad.[26]

Green Bay Packers

Benwikere was signed to the Green Bay Packers practice squad on January 17, 2017.[27]

Cincinnati Bengals

On February 14, 2017, Benwikere was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals.[28]

Dallas Cowboys

On September 2, 2017, after not being able to sign Joe Haden, the Dallas Cowboys traded a conditional 2019 sixth-round draft pick to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for Benwikere.[29] The Cowboys acquired him to provide depth while rookies Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis recovered from hamstring strains.[30] He appeared in 12 games playing mainly on special teams, registering 2 tackles in only 10 defensive snaps.

Arizona Cardinals

On March 23, 2018, Benwikere signed with the Arizona Cardinals, reuniting with head coach Steve Wilks who was his defensive backs coach with the Panthers.[31]

NFL career statistics

Regular season

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GPGSTotalSoloAstSckSFTYPDefIntYdsAvgLngTDsFFFR
2014CAR 106332490.007100.00010
2015CAR 1345944151.009000.00010
2016CAR 4410820.004111.01000
2017DAL 1202200.001000.00001
Total391410478261.0021211.01021
Source: NFL.com

Postseason

YearTeamGGSTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
TotalSoloAstSckSFTYPDefIntYdsAvgLngTDsFFFR
2014CAR 222200.001000.00000
Total222200.001000.00000
Source: pro-football-reference.com

Personal life

His uncle, William Lackey, played in the Arena Football League. Benwikere's cousin Chris Owens also played cornerback in the NFL.[7]

References

  1. ↑ California Birth Index
  2. 1 2 3 Person, Joseph (May 22, 2014). "Panthers rookie Benwikere's future turned corner in high school". Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on September 8, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "Bené Benwikere". San Jose State Spartans. Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Complete 2008 league results" (PDF). Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Combine Player Profiles: Bene Benwikere". NFL. Archived from the original on May 25, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Bene Benwikere". scout.com. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  7. 1 2 "Bene Benwikere Draft Profile". NFL. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  8. ↑ Durkin, Jimmy (December 28, 2012). "San Jose State Spartans win Military Bowl 29-20". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  9. ↑ Photo 5 of 85, San Jose State Athletics 2014 Graduation Participants
  10. ↑ "NFL Combine". nfl.com. nfl.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  11. ↑ "Newton's protection on right still in doubt". NFL Nation: Carolina Panthers. ESPN. August 27, 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  12. 1 2 "Panthers 20, Buccaneers 14". Carolina Panthers. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  13. 1 2 "Bene Benwikere Game Log". NFL. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  14. ↑ "What happened to change Carolina Panthers' stance on Greg Hardy between Friday and Sunday?". Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  15. ↑ Jones, Jonathan (October 6, 2014). "Carolina Panthers' no-huddle offense just part of the mix". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Panthers at Saints: Handing Out the Grades". Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  17. 1 2 "Derek Carr, Odell Beckham Jr., Aaron Donald headline All-Rookie Team". Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-12-30. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
  19. ↑ "Panthers 27 Cardinals 16: Handing Out the Grades". Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  20. ↑ "NFL draft redux: Reprojecting the first round of the 2014 draft". Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Bene' Benwikere shows why Panthers' D best with him at nickel". Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Super Bowl 50 - Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers - February 7th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  23. ↑ Orr, Conor (October 7, 2016). "Struggling Bene' Benwikere cut by Carolina Panthers". NFL.com.
  24. ↑ McClure, Vaughn (October 2, 2016). "Julio Jones has 300-yard game one week after 1-catch outing". ESPN.com.
  25. ↑ Sessler, Marc (October 10, 2016). "Dolphins grab corner Bene' Benwikere off waivers". NFL.com.
  26. ↑ Gantt, Darin (November 8, 2016). "Dolphins cut cornerback Bene Benwikere".
  27. ↑ "Packers sign CB Benwikere to practice squad". Packers.com. January 17, 2017.
  28. ↑ Marcum, Jason (February 14, 2017). "Bengals sign cornerback Bene' Benwikere". CincyJungle.com.
  29. ↑ Sessler, Marc (September 2, 2017). "Cowboys acquire CB Bene' Benwikere from Bengals".
  30. ↑ "Cowboys add depth at CB, trade for Bene Benwikere". Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  31. ↑ Urban, Darren (March 23, 2018). "Bené Benwikere Signed As Cornerback Help". AZCardinals.com.
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