Authentic Briean Boddy-Calhoun Jersey , six months after he filed a grievance alleging collusion by the NFL to prevent teams from signing him because of his participation in racial injustice protests during the national anthem alongside former San Francisco 49ers teammate Colin Kaepernick.Some NFL players were excited about the 2013 Pro Bowl safety signing a one-year deal with the Panthers, but were quick to point out they believe Kaepernick should be back in the league as well.Kaepernick congratulated his Reid on Twitter , saying Reid "should have been signed the 1st day of free agency. ... He was the 1ST person 2 kneel alongside me. Eric is a social justice warrior, continues to support his family and communities in need."Browns running back Carlos Hyde, who played with Reid and Kaepernick in San Francisco, was stunned to hear his former teammate had been picked up by the Panthers."For real?" Hyde said following Cleveland's practice. "I'm so happy for him. It's been too long. I kind of felt like they was doing him the same way they were doing Kap, so it's good to see E-Reid got signed and Kap should definitely be up next. It would be a real good thing then."Said Eagles defensive end Michael Bennett, "It's about time."As for Reid, who filed his grievance in May, he was mum during the hoopla on Thursday, declining comment through the Panthers and not weighing in on social media except to re-tweet Kaepernick.The 26-year-old Reid said in March that he doesn't plan to protest during the national anthem this season. The Panthers have a bye this week and next play at home on Oct. 7 against the New York Giants.Kaepernick, who filed his grievance in October 2017 and remains a free agent, began protesting racial and social injustice during the 2016 preseason by kneeling during the national anthem. Reid later joined the quarterback. After that other players around the league joined in, much to the displeasure of President Trump, who Tweeted at players to "Find another way to protest. Stand proudly for your National Anthem or be Suspended Without Pay!"That sparked a polarizing political debate that divided some NFL fans.Dolphins wide receiver Kenny Stills knelt during this year's season opener against the Titans."I'm just happy for (Reid), excited to see him get out there on the field and be the impact player we all know he is," Stills said Thursday. "Obviously I feel like he should have been signed the first day of free agency."Stills said he spoke to Kaepernick, his close friend, on Thursday."He wants to play. He's good enough to play. He deserves to play," Stills said. "I don't see why a team won't sign him, or hasn't signed him."The decision by the Panthers to sign Reid comes less than three months after David Tepper bought the team from conservative owner Jerry Richardson.Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said he wasn't concerned about Reid's past protests, telling The Associated Press it was a "football decision" — and one that was approved by Tepper."Every decision we make we communicate with" Tepper, the GM said. "Everybody we sign we ask if he has the skill set, does he fit into our system, and if he can help us win football games — and we feel the answer is yes."Eric Reid's younger brother, Justin, who plays safety for the Texans, said he is "immensely proud" of what his older brother stands for "in trying to have a voice for the voiceless."When asked if he believes his brother was not signed earlier by NFL teams because of his decision to protest
Youth Joe Schobert Jersey , Justin Reid said "I'm going to try and defer away from that."Reid is expected to start right away after the Panthers placed starter Da'Norris Searcy on injured reserve last week with a concussion. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Reid played the first five seasons of his NFL career with San Francisco after the 49ers selected him in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft. He has started 69 games."He's a physical safety with good ball skills and he makes plays and he has experience," Hurney said. "He's a young player with skins on the wall. He has played at a very high level."Forty Niners defensive coordinator Robert Saleh confirmed Thursday they inquired about signing Reed this week after injuries to Jaquiski Tartt and Adrian Colbert."E-Reid is familiar with our system and we know him, are comfortable with him," Saleh said. "Obviously, it didn't work out, but any time you have the opportunity you explore it."AP Sports Writers Tom Withers in Cleveland, Rob Maaddi in Philadelphia, Steven Wine in Miami, Josh Dubow in San Francisco, Charles Odum in Atlanta and Associated Press writer Jordan Godwin in Houston contributed to this report. Todd Bowles finally revealed the big decision that everyone expected.Sam Darnold will start at quarterback in the New York Jets' season-opening game at Detroit next Monday night.The 21-year-old Darnold will also make some NFL history by becoming the youngest quarterback to start in Week 1 since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger. At 21 years and 97 days, the rookie surpasses Drew Bledsoe (21-203), who held the distinction since starting for New England in 1993."Sam had a good preseason," Bowles said Monday while making the announcement. "We weren't holding him back, and we weren't rushing him at the same time. He still has some things to learn, but it was (his) poise in the pocket and the way he grasped the offense coming in right away. ... He gives us a very good chance to win."The announcement came as no surprise as the rookie was solid while starting the Jets' second and third preseason games. New York traded Teddy Bridgewater to New Orleans last week , and Darnold then sat out the preseason finale at Philadelphia — clear signals the No. 3 overall draft pick would be under center against the Lions."For me, I've always been kind of a calm person and a guy who just goes out there and tries to do my job to the highest ability I can," Darnold said before Bowles made the decision official. "If I get that opportunity to play, I'm going to play to the best of my ability."Darnold was given every opportunity to win the job in a competition with Bridgewater and incumbent Josh McCown, and he didn't disappoint. He went 29 of 45 for 244 yards and two touchdowns with one interception in the preseason. Even more impressive to Bowles and the coaching staff was Darnold's ability to quickly digest the playbook and not repeat mistakes.Still, Bowles declined to make his decision official until seven days before the opener."Sam's got feet to get himself out of trouble, probably, and he's got a good pocket feel," Bowles said. "He's probably a little quicker and a step quicker than Josh at this point. Josh obviously is smarter, playing in the league longer, but Sam picks things up very well also. But it's good to have a quarterback that can throw and move his feet."Darnold will not be the youngest quarterback to start in NFL history, though. That's still Tommy Maddox
http://www.brownsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-damarious-randall-jersey , who was under center for Denver at 21 years, 81 days old in Week 12 of the 1992 season.But Darnold will get a chance to make an early impact on a team that has been searching for a consistently productive franchise quarterback since the days of Broadway Joe.Darnold will be the 31st quarterback to start a game since Joe Namath's last game with the franchise in 1976. Richard Todd, Ken O'Brien, Chad Pennington and Mark Sanchez certainly had their moments, but none was able to sustain success or keep a frustrated fan base energized and hopeful over a long period.The Jets hope Darnold ends that drought.Oh, and then there's the Super Bowl, where the franchise hasn't been since Joe Namath famously delivered on his guarantee in 1969."Whether I play this year, next year or the year after that," Darnold said, "I know that we're going to win football games. It's going to fun for a long time here in New York."First things first, though: Darnold needs to get ready for the Lions. The former USC star will have a baptism by fire with three games in 11 days. The Jets play their home opener on Sept. 16 against Miami, followed by a Thursday night game at Cleveland four days later.Bowles and his coaching staff clearly believe Darnold will be able to handle the quick turnaround.Shortly before meeting with the media, Bowles passed reporters in the hallway as they left the locker room. The coach was going in to tell both Darnold and McCown of his decision after meeting with his staff."They both were good," Bowles said. "They're both professionals."The youngster's mental approach to the game has impressed NFL teams since he started playing in college. Despite starting just 24 games at USC, Darnold displayed the all-around potential of an elite starting QB. That was a major reason the Jets traded up three spots to No. 3 overall, hoping Darnold would fall to them.After Cleveland took Baker Mayfield first and the Giants went with Saquon Barkley at No. 2, the Jets had their guy.Darnold was impressive in the offseason and raised the Jets' hope that he could progress quickly enough to start right away. After a three-day holdout at the start of training camp to settle his rookie contract, Darnold returned to the team and practiced immediately while showing only minor signs of being rusty.Just a few weeks later, it was clear that Darnold would be leading the franchise when the regular season kicked off.Of the five first-round QBs from this year's draft, Darnold is the only starter for the opener. Mayfield, Josh Allen (Buffalo), Josh Rosen (Arizona) and Lamar Jackson (Baltimore) will be backups."I've had a ton of fun," Darnold said of the past several weeks. "I keep saying it, but getting paid to play a sport that I love — and not having to go to class is pretty cool, too. Nah, it's fun to be able to play this sport for a living and play with some really cool dudes."