NFL notebook: Panthers sign S Reid, despite collusion grievance against NFL

Free-agent safety Eric Reid has found a home within the NFL once again. The Carolina Panthers signed Reid to a one-year contract, the team announced Thursday. Financial terms were not disclosed by the Panthers for Reid, who followed in the footsteps of former San Francisco 49ers teammate Colin Kaepernick this past offseason in filing a collusion grievance against the NFL. Reid claimed at the beginning of the offseason that he wasn't receiving interest from teams because of his decision to kneel during the national anthem. He was the first player to kneel alongside Kaepernick as a means to protest perceived racial inequality and police brutality. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Reid started 12 of the 13 games he played for the 49ers in 2017, when he had two interceptions, four passes defensed, one fumble recovery and 66 tackles. He has 10 interceptions, 34 passes defended, one sack and 375 tackles since being selected by San Francisco with the 18th overall pick of the 2013 draft. --Another knee injury ended the season for Denver Broncos tight end Jake Butt -- just as it was beginning. The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Butt suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during a walk-through practice on Thursday that will prematurely end his season with 13 games remaining. Butt is no stranger to injury, having torn the ACL in his right knee twice while at Michigan -- first in the spring of 2014 and second in his final game for Michigan in the 2016 Orange Bowl. The second-year pro sat out all of last season with the Broncos while recuperating from the second knee injury. The latest injury is to his left knee, which had not been previously affected, and it happened during a non-contact part of practice. After Butt was examined at the training complex, he was taken for an MRI that confirmed the diagnosis. --After complaints from fans and teams alike regarding what is perceived to be some "softness" and inconsistencies to the roughing-the-passer rule as it relates to defenders falling on quarterbacks with all or most of their body weight, the NFL Competition Committee had a conference on Wednesday night. The committee reviewed video of roughing-the-passer fouls from this season and last and concluded that nothing needs to be changed. The rule emphasis instituted in the spring about the body weight provision that has been in effect since 2015 will remain, according to a statement from NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent. Vincent also said the league will continue to provide video feedback to coaches, players and officials to differentiate between "permissible and impermissible contact on the quarterback." --Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen was not at practice for a second straight day. Allen was listed with a knee injury, although Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said earlier in the week that he thought the team's No. 1 wide receiver was fine. The sixth-year wideout is tied for the team lead in receptions with 17 for 219 yards and a touchdown. Los Angeles hosts the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in a matchup of 1-2 teams.