Carolina Panthers top CB could make return vs. Tampa Bay. Key safety, pass rusher could too
One of the Carolina Panthers’ most impactful players could be making his long-awaited return.
Jaycee Horn, the team’s top cornerback who hasn’t played since Week 1, will be activated this weekend for the Panthers’ NFC South road game against the Tampa Bay Bucs on Sunday at 4:05 p.m.
A league source confirmed to The Charlotte Observer that he’s coming off IR. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN had it first.
This news just means that he’s part of the 53-man roster. There’s no update yet on whether or not the 2021 eighth overall draft pick will play Sunday.
Horn sustained a hamstring injury in the first half of the Panthers’ Week 1 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. This was the first of a tumble of long-term injuries the Panthers’ stout defense has suffered in 2023.
Among the others: Captain and linebacker Shaq Thompson suffered a season-ending lower leg injury in Week 2,
and cornerback CJ Henderson suffered a concussion in Week 9 that he hasn’t yet come back from.
The Panthers activated Horn’s 21-day practice window on Nov. 13, a few days before the team’s Week 11 loss to Dallas. He indicated earlier in this week that he wanted to return, but that he wanted to be 100% before doing so.
This news is a milestone in what has been a long NFL injury history for Horn, a product of the University of South Carolina and a native of Alpharetta, Georgia. The promising cornerback suffered a broken foot that made him miss all but three games in his rookie year, and he missed a handful of games in 2022 due to a broken wrist.
The son of former New Orleans Saints star, Joe, also battled injuries to his ribs and foot in 2022, and he missed some time this offseason due to an ankle injury.
He’ll be returning to a defensive secondary that has been solid all season — holding some of the best quarterbacks in the league at bay — but has struggled turning teams over. Horn has eight pass deflections and four interceptions in 17 total games played in his NFL career.
Two other key defenders are off IR too
Horn isn’t the only defender who could make his long-awaited return on Sunday.
The Panthers are also expected to activate safety Jeremy Chinn and pass rusher Yetur Gross-Matos, league sources told The Observer. Chinn has been sidelined on IR since the Week 7 bye after suffering a significant quad injury against the Dolphins, and Matos has missed the last six weeks with a hamstring injury.
The team announced all three of their activations later on Saturday, adding that defensive end Chris Wormley and offensive lineman Justin McCray have been elevated from the practice squad.
Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero has put together an admirable defense despite all the injuries — one that only allows 304.5 yards per game (sixth-best in the NFL) and boasts a 35.04% opponent third down conversion rate (third in the league).
When asked about the resilience of his defense, particularly the secondary, he credited his players and assistants.
“I mean, the backup guys — (Dicaprio) Bootle, obviously, he went down — David Long (who was cut Friday), Troy Hill, Jammie Robinson. I mean, on and on and on — (D’Shawn) Jamison. There have been so many guys who have filled in and given us quality reps.
“And, again, I can’t thank the coaches (enough), especially (assistant DBs coach DeAngelo Hall), (defensive quality control coach) Bobby Maffei, (defensive assistant) Mayur Chaudhari — all the assistant coaches, quality control coaches, that are helping these guys get ready. So, it’s been a team effort, and really, honestly, I have little to do with it cause I’m really more on the game-planning side of it. But there’s been a lot of work behind the scenes to get those guys caught up.”
This story was originally published December 2, 2023 at 12:03 PM.
