Stephon Gilmore is set to make his Panthers debut. The team is planning to activate the All-Pro cornerback off the PUP for tomorrow’s game against the Falcons, reports ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (via Twitter).
Per Fowler (on Twitter), Gilmore had been “trending” towards playing this weekend. The team practiced today, and the cornerback apparently showed enough to justify his activation. The Panthers opened Gilmore’s practice window earlier this month, so the player’s season debut was always going to come sooner than later.
At the beginning of the month, the Panthers sent the Pats a sixth-round pick and took on the contract-year corner’s remaining $5.8MM in base salary. While the organization will still have to figure out a long-term pact for the former Defensive Player of the Year, the move was a worthy risk. At his best, Gilmore was one of the best defenders in the NFL during his first few seasons in New England. 2020 was a down year for the veteran, although a quad injury likely played a role in his reduced production.
The 31-year-old will now help replace first-round pick Jaycee Horn, who is out with a broken foot. Gilmore now headlines a Panthers CB group with Donte Jackson, former top-10 pick C.J. Henderson, A.J. Bouye, and Rashaan Melvin.
Guys lost a step