The Carolina Panthers have been giddy to get Stephon Gilmore on the field since acquiring him in a trade with the New England Patriots back on October 6. Gilmore continues to recover from quadriceps surgery from an injury that stemmed from last year.

However, good news has arrived for the Panthers as Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network has reported that Gilmore is expected to partake in practice this week for Carolina

It's great news for a Panthers team that was torched by the pass against the Minnesota Vikings in their Week 6 loss. Kirk Cousins rolled into town and went 33-48 for 373 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-28 overtime victory for Minnesota. The help at corner will be much needed for a Carolina defense that started the year out looking like one of the better units in the league, but has sputtered as of late.

As Rapoport notes, the Panthers may have to take it slow with Gilmore even with him returning to practice as it will be his first time back in months. Keep in mind this isn't Gilmore returning from an injury that popped up in training camp or early in the year, it happened last year and as a result, he'll need time to adjust and get his game feet back beneath him.

Regardless, it will be a sight for sore eyes for the Panthers to get such a big boost at cornerback whenever it is that Gilmore gets a full workload at cornerback in Carolina.