The Panthers got wide receiver Xavier Legette back at practice this week and he will be available for Sunday’s game against the Saints.
Legette was activated from injured reserve on Saturday. He has been out since suffering a knee injury in Week 2.
Legette had two catches for 64 yards before his injury. The Panthers also designated cornerback Mike Jackson, and running back Jonathon Brooks for return from injured reserve this week, but neither one of them will be joining Legette in the lineup.
The Panthers elevated cornerbacks Marco Wilson and Corey Thornton from the practice squad. They provide extra depth with Jackson and Jaycee Horn still on injured reserve and Will Lee (hamstring) listed as questionable to play.
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The Saints are getting a key offensive player back.
Per Tom Pelissero of Netflix, New Orleans plans to activate running back Travis Etienne for Sunday’s game against the Panthers.
Etienne has been sidelined since suffering a hamstring injury in Week 3.
After returning to practice this week, Etienne was upgraded to a full participant in practice on Friday.
In three games this season, Etienne has registered 128 yards on 30 carries and caught 11 passes for 51 yards.
Friday’s nationwide ground stop won’t keep NFL teams from getting to their road games on Sunday. It will, however, impact the ability of officials to get to where they need to be.
The NFL has announced that officiating assignments have changed for Week 10. And the situation will result in a backup referee serving as the referee in two games on the same day.
“Due to the ongoing nationwide impact to air travel this weekend, the NFL has adjusted its officiating assignments for Week 10 games, reassigning officials to games within driving distance of their hometowns,” the NFL said in a statement. “The changes will necessitate that three backup referees — umpires Barry Anderson and Duane Heydt and side judge Don Willard [pictured] — will work as referees in the following games: Carolina-New Orleans – Duane Heydt; Jacksonville-Tennessee – Barry Anderson; Miami-Indianapolis and Pittsburgh-Cincinnati – Don Willard.
“Each of the league’s 17 officiating crews have a backup referee identified, and that individual trains throughout the year to work at the referee position should the need arise.”
The situation creates the likely unprecedented situation of a referee working two games in one day. Willard will handle Dolphins-Colts at 1:00 p.m. ET, and then he’ll make the 109-mile trip from Indianapolis to Cincinnati for the Sunday night game.
Making the unprecedented even more unusual is the fact that Willard’s usual crew (led by referee Scott Novak) wasn’t scheduled to work at all this weekend.
The announcement doesn’t address where the referees for those three games will be working, or what their roles will be. Shawn Smith was scheduled to be the referee for Panthers-Saints, Alex Moore was set to be the referee for Jaguars-Titans, Carl Cheffers was due to be the referee for Dolphins-Colts, and Clete Blakeman was slated to be the referee for Steelers-Bengals.
The league’s statement also doesn’t specify other shifts that were required as to the established crews that work together throughout the regular season.
It’s not often that a matchup of two 3-5 teams carries major playoff implications. But it’s also not often that there’s a division as bad as this year’s NFC South.
On Sunday in New Orleans, the 3-5 Panthers will take on the 3-5 Saints, and the winner will have sole possession of first place in the NFC South.
The Panthers and Saints are currently tied, with the Panthers in first place thanks to a better division record. Sunday’s winner will be 4-5, a game ahead of the loser and also a game ahead of the 3-6 Buccaneers, who have their bye this week. The 3-6 Falcons face the Chiefs, and the betting odds say Atlanta is likely to fall to 3-7 after that game.
All four teams in the NFC South are bad, but someone has to win the division, and whoever that “someone” is will host a playoff game.
Saints running back Travis Etienne returned to practice on Wednesday as a limited participant.
A hamstring injury in Week 3 sent him to injured reserve.
The Saints have 21 days to activate him back to the active roster, but he could return as soon as Sunday.
“We’ll see,” head coach Kellen Moore said Wednesday, via Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football. “There’s some potential for it. But . . . we’ll just let the week kind of play out and see what it looks like.”
Etienne has 28 yards rushing, 51 yards receiving and no touchdowns.
Center Erik McCoy (biceps), running back Alvin Kamara (rest/back) and running back C.J. Donaldson (shoulder) did not practice.
Moore said Cesar Ruiz will start at center in McCoy’s absence with Jeremiah Wright taking Ruiz’s spot at right guard.
Offensive tackle Kevin Banks (ankle), offensive guard David Edwards (knee), cornerback Martin Emerson (shin), tight end Noah Fant (back) and defensive tackle Christian Miller (knee) were limited.
The Panthers designated three players for return from injured reserve on Wednesday and they got a couple of other starters back on the practice field as well.
Left guard Damien Lewis and linebacker Jaelan Phillips were both full participants in practice. Lewis missed the last two games with a knee injury and Phillips has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury.
Running back Jonathon Brooks (groin), cornerback Mike Jackson (groin), and wide receiver Xavier Legette (knee) were full participants after being designated for return. Cornerback Will Lee (hamstring), guard Torricelli Simpkins (ankle), offensive lineman Brady Christensen (hamstring), defensive tackle Lee Hunter (calf), and running back Trevor Etienne (ankle) also got in full practice sessions.
Linebacker Bobby Okereke (foot) and running back Chuba Hubbard (rest) were the only Panthers to miss practice.
The Panthers started the clock on the return of three players from injured reserve on Wednesday.
Wide receiver Xavier Legette, cornerback Mike Jackson, and running back Jonathon Brooks have all returned to practice for the 3-5 team. The three players will be able to practice for the next 21 days and they can be activated at any point in that window.
Legette hurt his knee in Week 2 and had two catches for 64 yards before landing on injured reserve. Jackson and Brooks both had core muscle surgery. Jackson was hurt after starting the first three games of the season and Brooks played in the first two contests.
The Panthers also designated offensive lineman Brady Christensen for return recently and they’ve brought two players back from injured reserve already this season, which leaves them with two more opportunities to do so during the regular season.
Former Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has made the pivot to media. One question won’t go away.
Will he coach again?
“I’m having a lot of fun,” Tomlin said Wednesday on an NBC conference call, via Mark Maske of Front Office Sports. “Haven’t given one iota of thought about coaching. I’m sure that, you know, some of that’s going to come up in the not-too-distant future. But I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Really haven’t thought a lot about it. Really excited about my new role and working to get better each and every week.”
He’s excellent in his new role. Which serves as a reminder to all NFL owners that he’s excellent as a coach.
Here’s the reality. Owners and/or their proxies will be reaching out through the backchannels, sooner rather than later. Some teams may not even be thinking about changing coaches unless they believe they can get Tomlin.
Despite the league’s procedures when it comes to coaches, it would be naive to think some jobs aren’t unofficially filled before the interview process ends.
Ultimately, the manner in which any pursuit of Tomlin unfolds will be dictated by him. If he says, “I’ll entertain nothing until the regular season ends,” interested teams will have to factor that into their planning. If they really want Tomlin, they’ll have to wait.
Tomlin can also wait for the right opportunity. He’d still be at the top of the “A” list after the 2027 season, and possibly (if not likely) beyond. He’d surely want to pick a team that has everything he needs to be successful right away. With the key factors (as they would be for any coaching candidate with options) being ownership support and quality of quarterback.
This year, teams to potentially watch (and this is my own list, pulled out of thin air and/or my butt) include the Jets, the Colts, the Eagles, and the Panthers.
The Cowboys would make the list, if owner and G.M. Jerry Jones was truly willing to write the check. He made it clear last week that he’s not.
And it surely will require the shattering of the piggy bank to get Tomlin. With the top of the coaching market in the range of $25 million annually, it’ll likely take $30 million (or more) annually to even get his attention.
The one to watch most closely is the Panthers. Owner David Tepper, who previously owned a piece of the Steelers, is widely believed to be very interested in Tomlin. The Jets make sense, too; with the Giants reaping the instant benefit of hiring Tomlin’s former arch rival, John Harbaugh, Jets owner Woody Johnson may become motivated to do whatever it takes to get Tomlin.
The Titans have added a linebacker.
Tennessee announced on Wednesday that the club has signed Mohamoud Diabate off of Carolina’s practice squad.
Diabate was with the Titans earlier in the year, spending the offseason and training camp with the club. He was on the practice squad and appeared in one game before being released from the unit late last month. He then joined the Panthers’ practice squad.
Diabate spent the last three seasons with the Browns, appearing in 46 games with 18 starts.
In all, Diabate has recorded 128 total tackles with eight tackles for loss, three passes defensed, and a forced fumble.
The Panthers have not announced any trades ahead of the deadline yet, but they have opened up a spot on their 53-man roster.
They announced that they have released wide receiver David Moore. They also signed linebacker Claudin Cherelus to their practice squad and placed wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette on the practice squad injured reserve list.
Moore had one catch for 27 yards in six appearances with the Panthers this season. He also saw time on special teams in both kick coverage and as a kick returner.
The Panthers are set to get Xavier Legette back at practice this week and he could fill the roster spot that opened up with Moore’s departure.
