Eight months after announcing his retirement, cornerback Cortland Finnegan has landed with the only unbeaten team in the NFL.
The 31 year old signed with the Carolina Panthers on Monday, three days after he worked out for the team.
In March, Finnegan told Instagram it was "time to move on," but he never filed paperwork with the league. So when the Panthers went looking for a late-season Band-Aid in their secondary, he popped up to the top of their wishlist.
"Any time you can add a guy with Finnegan's experience at this point in the year, you're excited about it," defensive coordinator Sean McDermott said.
"There's obviously movement and skill set there, still, so we felt like it could help us."
Finnegan played nine seasons with the Titans, Rams and Dolphins, but he hasn't appeared in an NFL game for 11 months. If he's in shape and a fast learner, he could be on the field in Week 13 when the Panthers visit New Orleans.
Even though most of his experience is on the outside, Finnegan has played a handful of games at nickel corner. As BBR reported Friday, with Colin Jones struggling in the slot, that's where the Panthers plan to put Finnegan.
"It's nice to have options," McDermott said. "You look at Cortland, you look at Colin, then you throw Bené [Benwikere] in there and what we do at times with Shaq [Thompson] in there, it's a good little deal we've got going."
According to Pro Football Focus, Jones allowed 12 receptions on 12 targets the past two weeks while filling in for Benwikere, who's had to slide to the outside for injured cornerback Charles Tillman.
When asked when he expected Tillman to return from his knee injury, McDermott wouldn't hint at a timeline.
"We're anxious to get him back when he's healthy," he said.
According to a source, Tillman is dealing with something more serious than a hyperextended knee, yet the team is still hoping he can come back by the end of the season.
Besides the rust that may have accumulated on Finnegan after nearly a year off, there's the risk of mixing his fiery personality with Carolina's chemistry. Finnegan's much-publicized fight with wideout Andre Johnson in 2010 was followed by the title of "NFL's Dirtiest Player."
But the Panthers go out of their way to avoid knuckleheads, so if they're adding Finnegan to their 11-0 locker room, odds are good they did their due diligence.
"Dave [Gettleman] and Ron [Rivera] do a lot of research on that end. We want to make sure we're bringing in the right guys," McDermott said. "I just know on the field, I love his style of play, that aggressive nature. That fits a lot of what we do and how we play."