Panthers Designate Sam Darnold For Return
The Panthers have designated quarterback Sam Darnold and cornerback Stantley Thomas-Oliver III for return from the injured reserve list, per a club announcement. Both players will be allowed to practice starting today, enabling them to return at any point within the next 21 days. 
Darnold has been out with a shoulder injury since Week 10. Specifically, a partially fractured right scapula. While this was a new injury, Darnold is no stranger to the trainer’s table. The 2018 first-rounder has now missed at least three games in each of his first four seasons.
The ex-Jet was soaring early on this year, but that didn’t last long. Darnold was leading the league in interceptions before his injury. Now, thanks to missed time, his INT tally (11) has been leapfrogged by several QBs with No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence leading the way (14 INTs).
So far, Darnold has a 4-5 record across nine starts. Since then, they’ve used P.J. Walker and old pal Cam Newton under center. That worked out nicely in Week 10 as they upset the Cardinals, but they’ve dropped three straight ever since.
The Panthers traded second-, fourth- and sixth-round picks for Darnold and picked up his fully guaranteed 2022 option, which is worth upwards than $18MM. Still, they’re expected to go QB shopping in the offseason.
Per league rules, Darnold and Oliver will be eligible to play this Sunday against the Bills.
Joe Brady Wants To Stay In NFL
After receiving interest for head coaching jobs just after the 2020-21 NFL season ended, former Panthers’ offensive coordinator Joe Brady is not quite ready to return to the college coaching ranks. Despite some reports linking Joe Brady to the University of Miami as a potential offensive coordinator on new head coach Mario Cristobal’s staff, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Brady has heard from multiple NFL teams and the expectation is that he will stay in the league next season.
Brady found success in college football in his lone season at LSU as the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach. Brady and then-LSU quarterback Joe Burrow were two individuals highly regarded as contributors to the school’s 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship. The success quickly vaulted Brady into coaching opportunities as, three days after the Championship win, Brady accepted the offensive coordinator job under incoming head coach of the Panthers Matt Rhule.
In Brady’s first season as the lone offensive play caller, Carolina’s offense ranked 24th in the NFL in scoring and 21st in yards, utilizing Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback and leaning on Mike Davis at running back with star Christian McCaffrey sidelined for all but three games. Through 13 weeks of the 2021 NFL season, the Panthers’ offense ranked 24th in points per game and 29th in yards yards per game. The team has struggled to find consistency at quarterback with trade acquisition Sam Darnold failing to take a firm hold of the reins of the offense and Cam Newton not providing the desired boost after signing with his former team in November. The running game has still seen Christian McCaffrey miss time and has turned to rookie fourth-round pick Chuba Hubbard in his absence.
Rhule didn’t specify any reasons for firing Brady only claiming it was best for the team moving forward, so it’s understandable that some NFL teams still see potential in hiring the young offensive mind. College football jobs have been filling quickly since the end of their regular season, so Brady’s focus on the NFL indicates he probably has some pretty strong leads on a new job.
Jalen Hurts To Start For Eagles In Week 15; Panthers Were Interested In Gardner Minshew
Despite QB Gardner Minshew‘s strong performance in last week’s victory over the Jets, the Eagles — who are on a bye this week — will turn the reins back over to Jalen Hurts when they return to the field for their Week 15 contest against WFT, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. Hurts was unable to suit up for the Jets game due to an ankle injury but is expected to be healthy enough to resume his starting role next week.
The Jets’ defense is hardly the most difficult test for a quarterback, but Minshew did exactly what he needed to do to put himself back on the radar for QB-needy clubs by completing 20 of 25 passes for 242 yards and throwing two TD passes. There may not be a quarterback controversy in Philadelphia at the moment, and Hurts’ play down the stretch will obviously factor into the Eagles’ long-term thinking, but even if the Eagles’ front office is content to move forward with Hurts, Minshew may have at least bolstered his trade value.
Per Rapoport, the Panthers called the Eagles about a possible Minshew trade during the season, not long before Carolina signed Matt Barkley and Cam Newton. The two clubs never got particularly deep into talks, but Minshew is expected to generate outside interest again this offseason.
RapSheet says that Minshew is generally viewed as no worse than a bridge starter, with the upside to be more. A team that misses out on one of 2022’s top trade targets or collegiate passers, or a team that is looking to groom a young QB, would probably be happy to give up a mid-round pick for Minshew.
The former Jaguars draftee still has a year to go on his rookie contract and will make a modest $965K in 2022, further enhancing his trade value.
Panthers Misdiagnosed K Gano In 2018
Graham Gano has been one of the more reliable kickers in the NFL over the course of his twelve-year career, a career that could’ve been cut short due to a misdiagnosed injury by Panthers’ team doctors in 2018, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reported in October.
Gano spent eight years in Carolina with his final year being spent on injured reserve. In seven seasons of play, Gano converted 165 of 193 attempted field goals (85.5%) en route to becoming second on the list of the franchise’s all-time leading scorers with 742 points. The former-Panther’s last active season with the team was cut short when team doctors diagnosed him with a left leg injury. According to Gano, the medical staffers misdiagnosed the injury as tendinitis and a bone bruise when he had actually sustained a fractured left femur. Gano’s second opinion from New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery led to a 2019 knee surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2019 season, but potentially prevented a more dangerous injury from ending his career had he returned without fixing the actual damage to his leg.
Upon returning to health in the 2020 offseason, Gano was cut by the new staff led by current Panthers’ head coach Matt Rhule before he even got a chance to kick for them. Carolina’s loss was New York’s gain, as the Giants quickly picked up the veteran kicker and have seen him return to form converting 91.8% of his attempted field goals. Gano’s success in New York quickly earned him a new contract that extended him through 2023 with the second highest average salary in the league for kickers.
Dr. Pat Connor and trainer Ryan Vermillion, the head team physician and head athletic trainer respectively for Carolina in that 2018 NFL season, are no longer with the organization. Vermillion ended up in Washington, following head coach Ron Rivera from Carolina, where he is now under investigation for alleged distribution of prescription drugs by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/11/21
Here is how teams finalized their Week 14 rosters:
Atlanta Falcons
- Activated from IR: TE Hayden Hurst
- Promoted: RB Qadree Ollison, S Shawn Williams
- Waived: RB Wayne Gallman
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted: CB Robert Jackson, T David Sharpe
Buffalo Bills
- Activated from IR: G Jon Feliciano
- Promoted: DE Eli Ankou, DT Brandin Bryant, LB Joe Giles-Harris
Carolina Panthers
- Activated from IR: T Cameron Erving
- Promoted: RB Reggie Bonnafon, LB Frankie Luvu, OL Patrick Omameh
Chicago Bears
- Promoted: LB Charles Snowden
Cincinnati Bengals
- Promoted: LB Austin Calitro, LB Keandre Jones
Cleveland Browns
- Activated from IR: LB Jacob Phillips
- Promoted: DB Herb Miller, DB Jovante Moffatt, WR JoJo Natson
- Waived: WR Ja’Marcus Bradley
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted: TE Ian Bunting, RB JaQuan Hardy, S Darian Thompson
- Waived: DT Justin Hamilton
Denver Broncos
- Activated from IR: LB Micah Kiser, CB Michael Ojemudia
Detroit Lions
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Mark Gilbert, CB Ifeatu Melifonwu
- Promoted: CB Corey Ballentine, LB Curtis Bolton, DE Bruce Hector, CB Parnell Motley, RB Craig Reynolds, CB Nickell Robey-Coleman, RB Rodney Smith, TE Shane Zylstra
Houston Texans
- Promoted: DB Grayland Arnold, WR Phillip Dorsett, DL Chris Smith
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted: DB Dicaprio Bootle, DB Josh Jackson
- Placed on IR: DB Chris Lammons
Los Angeles Chargers
- Placed on IR: LB Kyler Fackrell
- Promoted: DB Ben DeLuca, LB Emeke Egbule, WR Jason Moore
Miami Dolphins
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Salvon Ahmed
New Orleans Saints
- Activated from IR: DB Chauncey Gardner-Johnson
- Promoted: G James Carpenter, LB Chase Hansen, WR Kevin White, WR Easop Winston, TE Ethan Wolf
New York Giants
- Promoted: WR Pharoh Cooper, DB Jarren Williams
New York Jets
- Activated from IR: CB Brandin Echols
- Promoted: DE Ronald Blair, TE Dan Brown, WR D.J. Montgomery, WR Vyncint Smith
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on IR: RB Trenton Cannon, CB Emmanuel Moseley
- Promoted: WR River Cracraft, RB Brian Hill, CB Saivion Smith, S Jarrod Wilson
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: LB Edmond Robinson
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from IR: S Dane Cruikshank, WR Racey McMath
- Placed on IR: TE Tommy Hudson; this is Hudson’s second IR trip, ending his season
- Promoted: WR Cody Hollister, DL Kevin Strong
- Waived: S Brady Breeze
Washington Football Team
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Darryl Roberts, DE James Smith-Williams
- Placed on IR: G Wes Schweitzer
- Promoted: DE William Bradley-King, LB De’Jon Harris, S Jeremy Reaves, C Jon Toth
Panthers Plan To Give HC Matt Rhule Another Year
Despite the Panthers’ underwhelming record in one-plus season under Matt Rhule, it sounds like the head coach will get another year to figure it all out. Per ESPN’s Dan Graziano, Panthers owner David Tepper intends to keep Rhule around for a third season. Of course, the writer cautions that plenty could change over the next five weeks.
The Panthers are 5-7 on the year, giving Rhule a combined record of 10-18 across the last two seasons. Things haven’t gone according to plan for Rhule, but it sounds like the organization will give him some additional time to figure it out. The Panthers have dealt with inconsistent QB play over the past two years, and the team was hit hard by injuries in 2021 (including an injury to their best player, Christian McCaffrey). NFL teams took notice of Baylor’s quick turnaround from the Art Briles era when Rhule was at the helm, and it sounds like the Panthers are still hoping their HC can guide a similar revival in Carolina.
While Rhule will likely get a commitment for the 2022 season, don’t be surprised if he’s given an extremely short leash. Graziano believes the HC will be one of the major names on the “hot seat” heading into the 2022 campaign.
Meanwhile, Graziano writes that the recent dismissal of offensive coordinator Joe Brady wasn’t all that surprising. The two coaches “didn’t have the best relationship,” and if you add in Carolina’s sputtering offense, the writing was clearly on the wall.
NFC Notes: Buccaneers, Darnold, Cowboys
Imagine a loaded Buccaneers offense with…Jonathan Taylor at running back. It could have been a possibility, as the Buccaneers had their eye on the Wisconsin product during the 2020 draft, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Bucs were armed with the No. 14 heading into that draft, and Taylor was on the “short list” of players the organization was considering with that selection. The team ended up with their preferred prospect, offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, and they traded up to No. 13 to make sure they got the lineman. However, if Wirfs was off the board at that point in the draft, then Tampa Bay likely would have pivoted to Taylor, who didn’t hear his name come off the board until midway through the second round.
“I loved him,” Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said recently (via Schefter). “He could do it all, and it was just a matter of time — playing behind that offensive line — that he was going to be the force that he is.”
Taylor has obviously had a standout season with the Colts, leading the league with 1,348 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns (naturally, he’s also leading the NFL with 1,684 yards from scrimmage and 18 total scores). Of course, things have worked out fine for the Buccaneers. Wirfs has started all 28 of his career games, while the duo of Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones were more than capable during Tampa Bay’s 2020 Super Bowl run.
Some more notes out of the NFC…
- Sam Darnold seems to be out of the picture in Carolina, but the Panthers still owe the quarterback $18.8MM in guaranteed money in 2022. The team already paid Denver $7MM to inherit Teddy Bridgewater, leaving the organization with $17MM in dead cap. As a result, Joseph Person of The Athletic believes Darnold will stick around as a high-priced backup vs. being involved in a salary dump. Person specifically cites a 2017 trade where the Texans attached a second-round pick to Brock Osweiler to dump his salary on Cleveland; league sources tell the reporter that “an Osweiler-type trade involving Darnold is unlikely.”
- Cowboys senior defensive assistant George Edwards is a candidate for the head coaching job at his alma mater, Duke University, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). Edwards was a four-year player for Duke, and he served as an assistant on the Duke staff way back in 1996. He’s had a long coaching career since that time, including a recent six-year stint as the Vikings defensive coordinator. Edwards has been a senior defensive assistant with the Cowboys since 2020. Duke parted ways with David Cutcliffe last month.
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com recently tweeted the 10 highest salary cap hits for 2022, and the top three spots all belong to the NFC. Falcons QB Matt Ryan and his $48.7MM cap hit leads the way, following by Packers QB Aaron Rodgers at $46.1MM and Vikings QB Kirk Cousins at $45MM. Other NFC players on the list include Seahawks QB Russell Wilson (sixth, $37MM), Cowboys QB Dak Prescott (ninth, $34.5MM), and Lions QB Jared Goff (10th, $31.2MM).
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/7/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DB Cornell Armstrong
- Released: CB Chris Williamson, OT Rick Leonard
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: RB Jacques Patrick
- Released: WR Matt Cole
Chicago Bears
- Signed: FB Ben Mason
- Released: LB Rashad Smith
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: TE Ross Travis
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR/KR Tyrie Cleveland
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted: QB Kurt Benkert
New York Giants
- Signed: QB Clayton Thorson
New York Jets
- Signed: K Matt Amendola, WR Tarik Black
- Released: WR Keelan Doss
Seattle Seahawks
- Released: DB Elijah Benton
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: LS Garrison Sanborn
Panthers Designate Cameron Erving For Return
The Panthers have designated Cameron Erving to return from injured reserve. With that, the offensive tackle will be eligible to play anytime within the next 21 days.
[RELATED: Latest On Panthers’ Matt Rhule]
Erving was put on IR with a calf injury in early November. Before that, he was sidelined with a neck injury. So, all together, the 29-year-old has appeared in just seven games so far this year. Without him, the Panthers have been starting Dennis Daley with support from rookie Brady Christensen.
The Panthers, of course, are going to be without Christian McCaffrey for the rest of the year, so Erving’s return will only help so much. Still, the extra protection could help as they look to make the most of their season. The Panthers are 5-7 following their pre-bye loss to the Dolphins. They are — technically — still in the playoff mix, but they’ll have to beat the Falcons this week in order to keep their hopes alive.
In other Panthers news, head coach Matt Rhule reportedly wants to stay put, rather than chase any of this year’s NCAA openings. It’s not a given that the Panthers will have him back, of course, but the early word is that he’ll get another chance in 2022.
Latest On Panthers’ Matt Rhule
The Panthers shook up their coaching staff over the weekend by firing offensive coordinator Joe Brady. That’s led to speculation over Matt Rhule‘s status in Carolina, but Jonathan Jones of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) doesn’t get the sense that the head coach’s job is in danger. 
[RELATED: Panthers Fire OC Joe Brady]
Meanwhile, Rhule was atop the wishlists at LSU, USC, and Oklahoma before they made their hires. And, another high-profile NCAA job opened up earlier today when the University of Miami dismissed Manny Diaz. Despite all of that, Rhule is not interested in a return to the college ranks at this time, according to sources who spoke with Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
As a college coach, Rhule went 47-43 in seven seasons at Temple and Baylor. That record doesn’t necessarily jump off of the page, but NFL teams have took notice of Baylor’s quick turnaround from the Art Briles era under his watch. Rhule’s Bears went 1-11 in his first season (2017) but they improved with time. In his final season at the helm, Baylor reached the Sugar Bowl, prompting serious from the Panthers, Giants, and Browns.
Rhule, 47 in January, would be a splashy hire for any high-profile team in need. Meanwhile, the Christian McCaffrey-less Panthers are 5-7 on the year, giving Rhule a combined record of 10-18 across the last two years. Things haven’t gone according to plan for Rhule, but it sounds like the Panthers may give him another chance for 2022. And, if that’s the case, he’s inclined to stay put.