Panthers expected to activate CB Stephon Gilmore from PUP list

Stephon Gilmore is set to make his Panthers debut. Carolina is planning to activate the All-Pro cornerback off the PUP for Sunday's game against the Falcons, reports ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Per Fowler, Gilmore had been “trending” toward playing this weekend. The team practiced Saturday, 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 $5.8M 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 greatest defenders in the NFL during his first few seasons in New England. 2020 was a down year for the veteran, but 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.