Stephon Gilmore

Panthers Still Considering Stephon Gilmore

April 18th, 2024 at 5:42pm CST by Ben Levine

The Panthers have been connected to old friend Stephon Gilmore over the past month, and it sounds like a reunion is still a possibility. Panthers GM Dan Morgan told reporters (including Darin Gantt of the team’s website) that they’re still considering a Gilmore signing and will revisit after the draft.

“Yeah, we’re gonna leave the door open there,” Morgan said (h/t PanthersWire). “We’re still gonna stay in communication and after the draft, we’ll circle back and kinda see where it goes from there.”

It’s not a huge surprise that the Panthers are keeping their options open, as the team is set to see plenty of turnover at cornerback in 2024. The team lost two significant pieces in Donte Jackson, who was dealt to the Steelers for Diontae Johnson, and C.J. Henderson, who left via free agency. The organization did sign Dane Jackson, adding the veteran to a grouping that also includes former first-round pick Jaycee Horn and little-used 2023 backups Dicaprio Bootle and D’Shawn Jamison.

Gilmore would certainly provide some veteran experience to that grouping, and the defensive back has shown that he still has plenty left in the tank. Gilmore wasn’t elite during his time with the Cowboys in 2023, but Pro Football Focus still graded him 35th among 127 qualifying cornerbacks. Gilmore expressed interest in re-signing with the Cowboys after the season.

Gilmore was traded to the Panthers during the 2021 season and got into nine games (eight starts) for the team. He finished that campaign with 16 tackles and two interceptions. During his 2022 campaign with the Colts, Gilmore was ranked ninth in those same metrics, so the former DPOY has recently shown that he can be a top-end performer.

Latest On Panthers’ CB Situation

April 1st, 2024 at 11:13am CST by Adam La Rose

The Panthers have a vacancy at the cornerback spot for the time being, with Donte Jackson having been traded to the Steelers for Diontae Johnson and C.J. Henderson departing in free agency. Carolina has since signed Dane Jackson, but another move could be coming relatively soon.

Carolina is interested in bringing back Stephon Gilmore, who had a one-year tenure with the team in 2021. That season was limited to eight games, but the former Defensive Player of the Year still managed to earn a Pro Bowl nod. Gilmore remained healthy during his subsequent campaigns with the Colts and Cowboys, and he is one of the top defensive free agents still on the market.

A new Dallas deal is on Gilmore’s radar, but the 33-year-old could see starting duties if he were to re-join the Panthers. Gilmore would play alongside Jadeveon Clowney in that event, as the former No. 1 pick joined Carolina last week. The two attended the same South Carolina high school, and that connection could help convince Gilmore to take on a Panthers deal. Short of that, though, the team could be in need of a rookie CB addition.

Joe Person of The Athletic predicts the Panthers will select a corner “fairly high” in the upcoming draft if Gilmore or no other veteran is not signed (subscription required). Carolina has Jaycee Horn in place as a starter for at least one more season; a decision on his fifth-year option will be made this spring. The former top-10 pick has battled injuries in his career, though, so a long-term investment in the secondary would come as little surprise.

Dane Jackson will play a part in the team’s efforts to improve against the pass, having signed a two-year deal in free agency. The 27-year-old was drafted when Panthers GM Dan Morgan was a member of Brandon Beane‘s Bills staff, and Person notes Morgan lobbied for Carolina to sign Jackson when he became available. Jackson is in line to serve as a slot starter on his new team, one which has undergone several changes on both sides of the ball this offseason.

Carolina ranked third against the pass in 2023, and the retention of defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero points to a repeat of that success being possible this season. At least one notable move at the CB spot will likely be required, however, whether it is a reunion with Gilmore or an early emphasis on the position in the draft.

Stephon Gilmore Back On Panthers’ Radar

March 26th, 2024 at 2:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Even as the Panthers attempt to pick up the pieces after a 2-15 season, soon-to-be 31-year-old pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney remains on their radar. Another prominent NFL 30-something does as well.

Stephon Gilmore, who went to the same South Carolina high school as Clowney, is back in play for the Panthers. Carolina’s new regime reached out to Gilmore about a potential return, The Athletic’s Joe Person tweets.

Matt Rhule and GM Scott Fitterer authorized a 2021 trade that brought Gilmore to the Panthers for a 2023 sixth-round pick. Gilmore, however, ended up playing only a half-season with Carolina. The Panthers did not re-sign the Rock Hill, S.C., native in 2022; the former Defensive Player of the Year instead signed with the Colts. Indianapolis traded Gilmore to Dallas last year, and while the 33-year-old corner expressed interest in staying with the Cowboys, he remains unsigned.

Dallas brought back Jourdan Lewis, who will be in line to patrol the slot alongside DaRon Bland and the recovering Trevon Diggs. This might not leave a spot for Gilmore, who appears to have at least one other option. While cornerbacks ahead of their age-34 seasons do not typically generate extensive interest, Gilmore has been one of the NFL’s best boundary corners over the past several years.

Gilmore played a lead role in helping the Patriots to their sixth Super Bowl title, intercepting a pass against the Rams in a defensively powered championship performance. Gilmore won his DPOY honor the following year and made another Pro Bowl in 2020. He added a Pro Bowl alternate nod with the Panthers, though he only played in eight games that season due to a quad injury and a contract impasse with the Patriots. Last season, Gilmore intercepted two passes and allowed a 55.8% completion rate as the closest defender — his best showing since the dominant 2019 campaign.

The Panthers traded one of their CB starters, Donte Jackson, to the Steelers in an exchange that brought Diontae Johnson to Charlotte. Jaycee Horn has also dealt with injury problems; Gilmore initially joined the Panthers while Horn was rehabbing a broken foot. The team bringing Gilmore back would create a reality in which the Panthers roster two 33-year-old corners; the recently re-signed Troy Hill will turn 33 just before the season. This would be an interesting route to take for a rebuilding team, but another starter-level corner will likely be needed ahead of Ejiro Evero‘s second season running Carolina’s defense.

CB Stephon Gilmore Wants To Re-Sign With Cowboys

February 9th, 2024 at 8:26pm CST by Ely Allen

Veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore just completed his 12th season in the NFL, playing for his fourth team in as many years. Despite this recent bouncing around, Gilmore has proclaimed his interest in remaining in Dallas for the 2024 season, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic.

“I want to come back,” Gilmore said on a local radio show. “We can’t talk until March, but that’s the goal, because I think we do have the pieces to get to where we want to go, and I want to be part of that.”

Gilmore, 33, has struggled with injury in recent years, though his season stats may not show it. After missing five games, including the final two with a partially torn quad, in 2020, Gilmore would miss the first seven weeks of the 2021 season due to the prior year’s injury. He’d make a strong rebound in 2022, starting every game but the season finale in Indianapolis, but injuries would turn their ugly head once again in 2023.

Three weeks ago, it was reported that Gilmore had found out that he had torn his labrum in his right shoulder before Super Wild Card weekend. An injury like that is certainly grounds for season-ending surgery that late in the season. Gilmore, though, made the conscious decision to delay surgery, toughing it out for what he hoped would be the second Super Bowl run of his career. Gilmore wore a shoulder harness and played 100 percent of the defensive snaps for Dallas in their loss to the Packers. He would’ve done that three more times, if given the opportunity.

With the Cowboys’ season officially ended after their loss to the Packers, Gilmore underwent surgery soon after, per ESPN’s Todd Archer. Gilmore’s surgery has an expected recovery period of four to six months, so wherever he chooses to sign, he should be able to make a return in time for training camp. Whether or not the limited communication until March that Gilmore mentioned is self-imposed is not quite clear, as the two sides should have full access to each other for negotiations. Regardless, Gilmore has interest in his training camp return being with the Cowboys.

Injury Updates: Raiders, Gilmore, Williams

January 20th, 2024 at 2:29pm CST by Ely Allen

Maxx Crosby, who was already a two-time Pro Bowler and a second-team All-Pro selection within his first four years as a pass rusher for the Raiders, surprised nobody by putting up another career year in 2023. What’s even more impressive about this year’s Pro Bowl season and second-team All-Pro selection is that Crosby accomplished both feats while dealing with a knee injury for most of the season, per Grant Gordon of NFL.com.

This week, Crosby posted a picture of himself following a successful procedure on his left knee. The procedure was reportedly meant clean up an issue with his bursa that Crosby had been dealing with since Week 2 of the 2023 season. That’s not all. The 26-year-old also said recently that he will require thumb surgery. All of this information makes career-highs in tackles (90), sacks (14.5), and tackles for a loss (a league-leading 23) this season all the more impressive.

Elsewhere in Vegas, running back Josh Jacobs saw his own injury information made public earlier this month. After leading the league in rushing yards in 2022, Jacobs’ disappointing 2023 campaign came to an unceremonious end four weeks early, as the 25-year-old missed the final four games of the season with injury.

According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Jacobs had “been dealing with two deep bone contusions that…restricted his range of motion, preventing him from being cleared by the team medical staff.” Pelissero relays that the issues did not result in any structural damage and that Jacobs should be fully healthy heading into free agency this offseason.

Here are a few other injury updates from around the NFL, starting with an update out of northeast Texas:

Before Super Wild Card weekend, Cowboys veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore found out that he had suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder. An injury like that is certainly grounds for season-ending surgery that late in the season. Gilmore, though, made the conscious decision to delay surgery, toughing it out for what he hoped would be the second Super Bowl run of his career, per Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News. Gilmore wore a shoulder harness and played 100 percent of the defensive snaps for Dallas in their loss to the Packers. He would’ve done that three more times, if given the opportunity. With the Cowboys’ season now officially ended, Gilmore said that he expected surgery soon, giving him plenty of time to be ready to play in 2024, wherever that may be for the pending free agent.
Lastly, the Rams saw rookie sensation Kyren Williams suffer a hand injury in last weekend’s loss to the Lions. The running back out of Notre Dame finished the regular season behind only Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry in rushing yards but was forced to exit his team’s playoff game with a broken bone in his hand, according to Rams senior staff writer Stu Jackson. Williams underwent successful surgery on Tuesday of this week and should have plenty of time to recover for his sophomore campaign.

AFC South Rumors: Pittman, Leonard, Texans

April 23rd, 2023 at 9:56pm CST by Ely Allen

After trading away one half of their outstanding cornerback duo in Stephon Gilmore, the Colts expressed some interest in adding to the position room, according to Bobby Kownack of NFL.com. The team still has Isaiah Rodgers, who ranked as the NFL’s fifth-best cornerback last season, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), but across from him is Kenny Moore, who ranked at 96th.

Indianapolis is unlikely to use the No. 4 overall pick to select a cornerback in the draft, but there is likely to be some strong options at 35th overall at the front of the second round. Mississippi State’s Emmanuel Forbes and Georgia’s Kelee Ringo are projected to be borderline first-round players who could fall just outside. If not, Michigan’s DJ Turner and Utah’s Clark Phillips III are expected to last into Day 2.

Colts general manager Chris Ballard also mentioned free agency as a possible route to address the position, claiming that “there’s still some free agents out there, too, that could help…if need be.” He’s not wrong. Even if the Colts don’t want to reunite with Rock Ya-Sin, veterans Shaquill Griffin, Marcus Peters, and Ronald Darby are all still available on the free agent market.

Here are a few other rumors from around the AFC South:

After sitting out his entire rookie season with an Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia diagnosis, Texans wide receiver John Metchie is hoping to make his NFL debut in 2023. According to Texans TV host Drew Dougherty, Metchie has been involved since Houston began offseason conditioning earlier this month. They plan to continue to take it one day at a time, but it’s a promising sign for a young player who is overcoming tremendous adversity to get back to the football field.
The Colts have a few young offensive players’ contracts expiring after the 2023 season, and earlier this month, one of those players, wide receiver Michael Pittman spoke on the topic of an extension, according to Colts staff writer JJ Stankevitz. “I wouldn’t say it’s a goal,” Pittman said. “I think that happens naturally with performance. And if it doesn’t happen this year, that’s no big deal. I mean, it’ll happen eventually. I just kind of…leave that to my agent.”
Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard missed making an All-Pro team for the first time in his career last season due to a combination of a concussion and the recurrence of a back injury that kept him out of 14 games. New head coach Shane Steichen gave a minor update on the situation, according to Nate Atkins of the Indianapolis Star, saying that Leonard is “progressing well,” but Steichen did not give a timetable for when Leonard might return. Indianapolis is staying optimistic but patient, something that is crucial when dealing with the tricky nature of back injuries.

Stephon Gilmore Requested Trade From Colts?

April 16th, 2023 at 1:00pm CST by Rory Parks

It came as something of a surprise when the Colts traded Stephon Gilmore to the Cowboys in March. After all, Indianapolis just signed the 2019 DPOY to a two-year, $20MM contract last year, and he was a rare bright spot in a generally disappointing 2022 season for the club.

Plus, while Gilmore’s age (he is entering his age-33 season) and contract status did not help matters, the Colts’ return of a fifth-round pick seemed underwhelming in light of Gilmore’s 2022 performance and overall track record. GM Chris Ballard later conceded that the trade was partly motivated by cap considerations, and we have since learned that Gilmore may have actually requested a trade out of Indianapolis.

Colts defensive lineman DeForest Buckner suggested as much, saying, “Gilly is at a different point in his career than I am. He just finished up Year 11, and I’m going into Year 9, so you know, if I was in his position, maybe I would have considered the same thing” (via Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star). “That’s the best decision that he made for him and his family, and I’m all for it.”

It seems, then, that Gilmore was the one who set the wheels of a trade in motion, and he did so in order to play for a team that has more of a chance to compete for a championship in 2023, and perhaps beyond. Gilmore does have a Super Bowl ring from his time with the Patriots, though it makes sense that he would want a shot at another title and does not see the Colts — who appear poised to start either a rookie or a bridge passer at quarterback in 2023 — as an immediate contender.

The Gilmore trade does leave Indianapolis rather thin at the CB position, the team’s reported optimism about its incumbents notwithstanding. If Ballard hits on his expected selection of a QB with his top choice in this month’s draft, The Colts could quickly reemerge as championship hopefuls. However, Buckner — who also lived through a rebuild during the early part of his career with the 49ers — does not appear willing to do the same in Indianapolis.

“I hate that word (rebuild),” Buckner said. “My rookie year in San Francisco, we went 2-14, the coach got fired, we brought in Kyle [Shanahan] and the majority of the roster was gone. Brought in new guys, and it took a couple of years. … We were building a team, a culture and all of that, but I was a young player, so I was able to grind through those tough years. … As you get older, rebuild’s definitely not a word you want to hear.”

Buckner, who recently agreed to a restructure to provide the Colts with 2023 cap relief, is under contract through 2024. However, he is scheduled to carry a $22.8MM cap number next year, and depending on what Indianapolis’ future looks like at the end of the upcoming season, he may not be particularly amenable to an extension that would smooth out that charge.

Colts To Retain C Ryan Kelly, CB Kenny Moore II

April 2nd, 2023 at 9:55am CST by Rory Parks

The Colts are planning to retain both center Ryan Kelly and cornerback Kenny Moore II, as Zak Keefer of The Athletic writes (subscription required). GM Chris Ballard recently fielded trade calls on both players, and a report last month indicated that he was actively shopping Kelly, but he clearly did not get an offer to his liking.

“They’re both great Colts, and we’re glad they’re here,” Ballard said. “When you’ve got a good football player that is a great person and a great fit, it makes it hard to move away from those guys.”

Kelly, who will turn 30 in May, was one of the primary culprits in the surprising regression that the Colts’ offensive line experienced in 2022. That group, widely considered one of the team’s greatest strengths, struggled last season, and Kelly himself earned middle-of-the-road grades from Pro Football Focus after surrendering five sacks, 25 total pressures, and failing to generate much push in the run game. Still, he earned Pro Bowl acclaim every year from 2019-21, and as Indianapolis could soon be deploying a rookie quarterback, having an accomplished player at the pivot makes sense.

Moore, who is entering his age-28 season, lobbied for a new contract last year. While the deal that he signed in 2019 set a record for slot corners, Moore argued that his pay should reflect the fact that slot defenders are really starting players in today’s pass-heavy league, and that his ability to line up outside the numbers, make tackles in space, and play behind the line of scrimmage should also be rewarded. Ultimately, the Colts did not make any adjustments to Moore’s contract, and Moore turned in perhaps the worst season of his career.

Although PFF continued to laud his work against the run, it assigned Moore a poor overall grade of 55.7. He failed to record an interception for the first time in his six professional seasons, and he yielded an unsightly quarterback rating of 117.7. In fairness, he was playing through a torn ligament in his left hand and also dealt with a right hand sprain before his season was cut short by an ankle injury, and he did not fit as well in defensive coordinator Gus Bradley‘s scheme as he had in the scheme utilized by former DC Matt Eberflus. Regardless of the reason, though, Moore’s performance took a lucrative new contract off the table for the time being, so his upcoming platform campaign will be especially critical for his future earning power.

Releasing Moore would create a cap savings of $7.6MM while leaving a minimal dead money charge of $500K, and a trade would remove the dead money hit completely. Still, after the Colts traded Stephon Gilmore and saw Brandon Facyson defect to the Raiders in free agency, the team’s cornerback depth is suspect. Per Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star, Ballard — who concedes the Gilmore deal was partially cap-driven — thinks highly of presumptive boundary starters Isaiah Rodgers and Dallis Flowers, but it makes sense that he would not want to thin the CB room even further by cutting ties with Moore (Twitter link).

Nonetheless, one would expect Ballard to attempt to shore up the position in the coming months, and the draft would be one way to do that. Likewise, new head coach Shane Steichen wants to add reinforcements to the offensive line, as Keefer tweets, and an heir apparent for Kelly could be in the cards. At present, 2022 UDFA Wesley French represents the Colts’ fallback option at center.

Cowboys Considered Darius Slay As Trade Option

March 14th, 2023 at 5:44pm CST by Ben Levine

The Cowboys made a splash in their secondary today when they acquired former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore. Before they acquired the cornerback from the Colts, Dallas pondered making a call to a division rival.

While an initial report indicated the Cowboys discussed Darius Slay with the Eagles, these proceedings might not have progressed that far. ESPN’s Todd Archer clarifies on Twitter that the Eagles did not reach out to Dallas, so the Cowboys were clearly sniffing around at CB options. But the team had Slay on the radar. Jane Slater of the NFL Network tweets that the Cowboys indeed kicked around the idea of acquiring Slay.

While the Cowboys could theoretically carve out enough room to afford a pair of pricey cornerbacks, there’s a better chance the two potential moves were mutually exclusive, meaning Dallas preferred Gilmore.

Slay was recently granted permission to seek a trade out of Philly. It’s uncertain which side opted for a divorce; there were reports that the Eagles wanted to keep the cornerback around and that Slay wanted to stay in Philadelphia. The most likely explanation is that the Eagles wanted Slay to take a pay cut, and both sides may be exhausting their options before the player gives in to a reduced contract or is cut.

One year remains on Slay’s Eagles extension, a three-year pact worth $50MM. The 11th-year veteran is attached to a $17MM base salary in 2023 and a lofty $26.1MM cap number thanks to restructures in 2021 and 2022. No guaranteed money remains on the deal. The team could open up $17.5MM in cap space by making Slay a post-June 1 cut.

Addressing the trade topic on his latest podcast, Slay said he still wants to finish his career with the Eagles. That said, he confirmed he will continue his career elsewhere if that is what the Eagles end up deciding. The team locked up James Bradberry earlier today.

“I know what’s going on. I hear the rumors; I hear everything,” Slay said (h/t NBC Sports Philadelphia). “I see everything all over the globe, all over the internet and I just want my fans to know Slay did not ask to be traded. But this is part of the business. There’s no bad blood against neither one of us, me or Howie [Roseman]. None of that. We all good, great understanding. It’s just the business part of it. A lot of guys go up for trades, you know, they got a lot of money involved in this situation so it’s nothing big, nothing too serious. It’s just part of the business, man.

“I do want to finish my career as an Eagle but we’ll see. We be looking forward to it, man. Got time here. But best believe, I do want to be an Eagle. But if my job requires me to go elsewhere, then I’ll go.”

Since joining the Eagles in 2020, the cornerback has earned a pair of Pro Bowl nods. This past season, Slay finished with 55 tackles, 14 passes defended, and three interceptions. He ended up landing at 21st among 118 qualifying cornerbacks in 2022, per Pro Football Focus…a considerable drop from his fourth-place finish in 2021 but a significant jump from his grades in 2019 and 2020. For comparison’s sake, Gilmore finished this past season as PFF’s ninth-best CB.

Colts To Trade Stephon Gilmore To Cowboys

March 14th, 2023 at 4:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cowboys plan to pick up the second year of Stephon Gilmore‘s Colts-constructed contract. Indianapolis has agreed on a trade that will send the former Defensive Player of the Year to Dallas, Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).

In exchange, the Colts will receive a fifth-round Cowboys compensatory pick in this year’s draft. Gilmore is going into his age-33 season, but he played well in 2022. He will pair with Trevon Diggs in Dallas, which lost multiple cornerback regulars last season.

While Gilmore went through two rocky years following his dominant 2019 campaign, he bounced back with the Colts. Despite Indy’s chaotic season, Gilmore again proved to be a reliable defender. Pro Football Focus ranked the 6-foot-1 defender ninth among corners, and he allowed a 56.2% completion rate and 74.0 passer rating as the closest defender — both his best marks since that 2019 DPOY performance.

This will give the Cowboys a veteran boundary complement to Diggs, who lacked reliable presences opposite the risk-taking All-Pro to close last season. Both Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis suffered season-ending injuries, limiting the Cowboys’ upper-echelon defense in coverage. The team still has Lewis under contract, though Brown is a free agent, and plans to re-sign safety Donovan Wilson. Adding Gilmore will give the Cowboys a veteran-laden secondary without a top-tier contract on the books.

Gilmore angled for a new Patriots contract in 2021, doing so after the Pats gave him a one-year pay bump in 2020. But after the quadriceps injury that ended his ’20 campaign early, New England stood down. Gilmore landed on the Pats’ reserve/PUP list to start that season and never played another game with New England, which traded the former first-round pick to Carolina for a late-round selection. Gilmore underwent meniscus surgery during the 2022 offseason, Rapoport adds (on Twitter), and he looked closer to his peak form with the Colts.

Few modern corners have enjoyed seasons on the level of Gilmore’s 2019. The then-30-year-old outside corner rolled to Defensive Player of the Year acclaim during a season in which he intercepted six passes and limited quarterbacks to a collective 44.1 passer rating while in coverage. Gilmore enhanced his reputation considerably in New England, earning two first-team All-Pro nods and helping the team to its sixth Super Bowl title. The Cowboys will call on him to help them negotiate this decades-long hurdle.

After losing yet another divisional-round game, the Cowboys went to work creating cap space by restructuring the deals of Dak Prescott and Zack Martin. The Prescott restructure will provide the veteran QB with more leverage down the road, but it also equipped Jerry Jones’ team with more than $30MM in additional cap space.

One season remains on Gilmore’s two-year, $20MM deal. The Cowboys will take on the former Bills draftee’s $7.96MM salary, and they will count on the 12th-year veteran displaying the form he showed as a Colt last year. The Colts will take on $2MM in dead money by making this trade. They have moved on from multiple starting corners in recent years, trading Rock Ya-Sin to the Raiders in 2022 and now unloading the player they acquired to replace him. Slot staple Kenny Moore remains as Indianapolis’ top cornerback, but the team will need replacements on the outside.

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