Newton says Kaepernick is worthy of starting in NFL

Cam Newton became the latest NFL player to voice his support of free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick, saying it’s “unfair” that he’s not on a roster.

The Carolina Panthers quarterback asked and answered a few of his own questions:

“Do I think Kaepernick is better than some of these starting quarterbacks in this league? Absolutely.

“Should he be on a roster …? Absolutely. “Is he good enough to be a starting quarterback? Absolutely.”

Newton and the Panthers are preparing to play Kaepernick’s former team, the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Denver Kirkland were placed Tuesday on injured reserve. Linebacker Xavier-woodson Luster and safety Erik Harris were signed in corresponding moves.

Melifonwu and Kirkland are eligible to return this season. Neither can be activated from injured reserve before Week 9 when the team faces the Miami Dolphins on Nov. 5.

It is unclear exactly when Melifonwu was injured, although he played in one exhibition on Aug. 26 against the Dallas Cowboys. He did not practice on Aug. 29 and wasn’t present at the Oakland-alameda Coliseum when the Raiders concluded their preseason on Aug. 31 against the Seattle Seahawks.

Tuesday’s signing of Harris was urgent.

Before the move, the Raiders were down to three healthy safeties for Sunday’s season opener versus the Tennessee Titans. Shalom Luani, a rookie seventh-round pick, was the lone reserve behind starters Karl Joseph and Reggie Nelson. Safety Keith Mcgill II remains on the 53man roster, but he suffered a Jones fracture during an Aug. 5 practice and underwent foot surgery later that month, a source said. The team expects Mcgill to miss fewer than eight games, hence why he’s still on the active roster.

Kirkland suffered a similar injury as Mcgill. On Aug. 12, a Raiders offensive lineman pushed Arizona Cardinals linebacker Alex Bazzie to the ground during the exhibition opener.

Bazzie landed awkwardly on Kirkland’s right foot, causing a fracture of the fifth metatarsal, a source said. Kirkland underwent surgery and has not practiced since.

Starting in 2017, NFL teams can activate up to two players from injured reserve in a given year. There is no guarantee Melifonwu and Kirkland both will be the team’s choices for activation.

Twenty-five defenders currently are on the Raiders’ Week 1 roster. Of them, Harris became the first non-rookie free agent that Oakland has signed since safety Karl Joseph on April 7, 2016. He spent the 2016 season with the New Orleans Saints following a three-year tenure with the Hamilton Tiger-cats in the CFL. He appeared in four games last year but was waived Friday as part of the Saints’ cutdown from a 90- to a 53man roster.

Woodson-luster is back after a brief break, having been waived on Saturday. The undrafted rookie from