Latest On Panthers’ Stephon Gilmore
The Panthers are set to open Stephon Gilmore’s practice window this week (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Once he’s off of the PUP list, the cornerback will be one step closer to making his 2021 debut. 
[RELATED: Patriots Tried To Restructure Gilmore’s Deal]
It’s not clear whether Gilmore will be ready to go for Week 7 against the Giants, but he should be ready to go sometime soon. Gilmore could probably use some extra time to prepare after months of rehab on his torn quad.
Gilmore didn’t get to pick his team, but things worked out pretty well for him. The Pats were initially set to release Gilmore before they shipped him to the Panthers — a “dream come true” for the South Carolina native.
“I always wanted to [play for the Panthers], growing up as a kid,” Gilmore said (via the team website). “Some things you can’t control. But I always thought about it as a kid, and you always dreamed about it. But it happened, and I’m happy it happened.”
Once Gilmore returns, he’ll team with Donte Jackson to solidify the Panthers’ secondary.
49ers To Sign Mychal Kendricks
The 49ers are set to sign Mychal Kendricks (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The deal will become official by the end of the business day, pending the linebacker’s physical.
Kendricks spent training camp with the Niners, but they released him before the season due to a toe injury. He’s believed to be healthy now and ready to support SF’s front seven.
The veteran may have some rust to shake off. He’s yet to play in 2021 and his 2020 was limited to just two contests — one regular season game and one playoff game. Before all of that, he started 14 games for the Seahawks in 2019 but missed much of 2018 while dealing with legal matters.
Kendricks, who just turned 31 late last month, offers 91 pro starts and 19 sacks, despite being a career off-ball linebacker. The bulk of his work came with the Eagles, where he amassed 14 of his sacks and ~80% of his career 548 tackles.
Once Kendricks is signed, he’ll be eligible to play in Sunday’s game against the Colts.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/18/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: LB Daren Bates
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Benardrick McKinney (story)
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR Deon Cain
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson
Latest On Bucs’ Richard Sherman
Good news for Richard Sherman. His latest MRI confirmed the early diagnosis, meaning that the cornerback’s hamstring injury will only sideline him for a couple of weeks (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 
Barring a setback, the Buccaneers will not place Sherman on the injured reserve list. The 33-year-old tweaked his hammy during Thursday night’s win over the Eagles and will have to sit out for the next two contests against the Bears and Saints. After that, the Bucs have a Week 9 bye, giving Sherman additional time to heal up.
In the meantime, the Bucs will have to get by with a seriously depleted secondary. Corners Carlton Davis and Sean Murphy-Bunting are currently on IR and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. missed last week’s game with a concussion. Winfield may be on the verge of clearing protocol, so it sounds like he is trending towards playing against the Bears. At this time, head coach Bruce Arians says he’s not planning any out-of-house signings to reinforce the group.
In his two-plus games as a Buccaneer, Sherman did not hold up particularly well in coverage. When he returns, the three-time First Team All-Pro will try to turn back the clock and replicate his previous work.
Lane Johnson Returns To Eagles
Lane Johnson is back with the Eagles. On Monday, the right tackle announced that he is returning to the club after a three-week hiatus to focus on his mental health. 
“I would like to thank everyone for their understanding and support over the last two weeks,” Johnson said (Twitter link). “I appreciate the positive notes and messages as I’ve worked hard to restore my personal life. Depression and anxiety are things I’ve dealt with for a long time and have kept hidden from my friends and family. If you’re reading this and struggling, please know that you are not alone.”
“I am excited to re-join my teammates and coaches. I’m grateful for the entire Eagles community and look forward to continuing to play in front of the best fans in the world.”
Johnson was a surprise inactive for Week 4 and remained out for Weeks 5 and 6. Without the 31-year-old, the Eagles turned to backup Jack Driscoll as their last-minute starter against the Chiefs. For the last two games, they deployed Jordan Mailata on the right side with Andre Dillard serving as the left tackle.
The Birds have dropped two of their last three games without Johnson. Now, the veteran will return just in time for this week’s contest against the Raiders.
Cam Newton Still Eyeing NFL Return
Cam Newton is eager to make his comeback. “Hell yeah, I still want to play football,” the free agent quarterback said in a YouTube video. 
Newton also disclosed that he’s been vaccinated for COVID-19, which may improve his odds of finding a deal. The 32-year-old said he was “absolutely” surprised by the Patriots’ decision to cut him over the summer and felt that he would have stayed on the roster had he not been asked to spend five days away from the team facility. For what it’s worth, Newton said he would have agreed to stay on as Mac Jones‘ backup.
Although Newton has never been an NFL backup, he struggled in 2020 and signed for backup-level money earlier this year. The former MVP ranked 29th in cumulative QBR from 2016-19 as well, so it’s probably QB2-or-bust for Newton, unless an injury leaves a team especially desperate. Meanwhile, no clubs have been linked to Newton over the past six weeks.
The former No. 1 overall pick tested positive for COVID-19 in 2020 and missed one start. Still, he logged his number of starts since the 2017 season. After injuries cut his 2018 and ’19 seasons short, Newton showed he could stay healthy.
NFL: No Other Violations Found In Emails
The NFL’s recent email scandal will end with Jon Gruden, according to a league source who spoke with Barry Wilner of the Associated Press. Gruden, of course, resigned on Monday after his emails made national news. 
[RELATED: Fallout From Jon Gruden’s Resignation]
“The NFL did not identify any problems anywhere near what you saw with Jon Gruden,” said the AP’s source.
Gruden’s missteps were uncovered as a part of the league’s investigation into the Washington Football Team. Independent investigations have reportedly scoured through 650,000 emails in total, leaving many to wonder whether Gruden was just the tip of the iceberg.
Meanwhile, ex-Washington exec Bruce Allen would be subject to further investigation if he tries to return to the league, per the source. Right now, it’s hard to imagine Allen in a front office position, so that’s pretty much a moot point. The emails he received from pal Jeff Pash — the league’s top lawyer — were deemed “appropriate” and “in a different category” from Gruden.
The NFL has no current plans to release the full ~650K batch of emails, despite NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith‘s repeated requests.
Minimum Salary For Patriots’ Jamie Collins
Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins is earning the veteran’s minimum on his one-year Patriots deal, according to Mark Daniels of The Providence Journal (Twitter link). It’s a one-year, $1.075MM pact, though the Pats are only paying him the prorated portion of $836K. 
The Lions cut Collins in late September when they couldn’t find a suitable trade for him. That also left them on the hook for much of his three-year, $30MM deal. The Lions ate $11MM+ in dead money by releasing the 31-year-old (32 this week) and Collins could easily afford to take less with the Patriots.
It’s a similar story to Collins’ last deal with New England. The Browns cut Collins after paying him big bucks; the Patriots brought him back on a cheap one-year pact. He went on to deliver a seven-sack 2019, which he parlayed into a lucrative Lions contract. Between that and his early New England work — 5.5 sacks in 2015 — the Patriots are pretty jazzed about their recent pickup.
Collins notched a sack in his Week 5 debut against the Texans, his first of 2021. Now, he’ll try to help his new club top the Cowboys and advance to 3-3 on the year.
Raiders Activate Marcus Mariota From IR
SATURDAY: Ahead of this afternoon’s deadline to set Week 6 rosters, the Raiders activated Mariota off IR, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. He will retake his position as Carr’s backup for a pivotal matchup against the Broncos. The seventh-year veteran spent four weeks on Las Vegas’ IR list.
WENESDAY: The Raiders have designated quarterback Marcus Mariota for return from the injured reserve list. Now that he’s returned to practice, he has a 21-day window to be restored to the roster. 
Mariota saw a single snap in the season opener against the Ravens before being forced out with a quadriceps injury. Even though he’s not the starter in Las Vegas, the Raiders were hoping to use him as a change-of-pace option. They also could have used him this past week — Nathan Peterman‘s drive in relief of Derek Carr didn’t achieve much. Carr checked out okay afterwards, but the Bears ultimately beat the Raiders 20-9.
The former No. 2 overall pick of the Titans has spent the last two years in Vegas. Last year, he mostly held the clipboard and started just once. In his late-season outing against the Chargers, Mariota completed 17 of 28 throws for 226 yards with one touchdown against one interception.
The Raiders released QB Kyle Sloter from the taxi squad yesterday, a sign that Mariota could be activated as soon as this week.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/15/21
Today’s minor moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: G Jackson Carman
Detroit Lions
- Placed on IR: CB Corey Ballentine
Green Bay Packers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Malik Taylor
New York Giants
- Placed on IR: LB Justin Hilliard
Washington Football Team
- Placed on IR: LB Jared Norris