Panthers’ No. 2 corner isn’t a Pro Bowler. But he’s playing like one, coach says
Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero “can’t imagine a world” in which Derrick Brown isn’t a Pro Bowler.
He said so unprompted Wednesday, citing everything that’s already been said about the indelible defensive lineman.
But Evero also wasn’t shy about sticking up for someone else on his defense when it comes to Pro Bowl consideration:
Cornerback Mike Jackson.
“He makes a valid case as well,” Evero said of Jackson and the Pro Bowl. “I’m biased because I think the world of our players. But I also think it’s valid — Derrick, for certain, and Mike as well — that these guys have had excellent seasons. They’re a big part of why we’ve had so much success this year.”
The Panthers ended up with just one Pro Bowler to show for the 2025 season. That is cornerback Jaycee Horn, one of the highest-earning cornerbacks in the NFL whose five interceptions on the season is tied for second-most in the league.
When Brown’s name was omitted from the list earlier this month, confusion reigned. The locker room was annoyed. Brown himself was “disappointed” but fueled: “They still gotta stop that s--- on Sundays,” he said.
There wasn’t the same uproar for anyone else on the Panthers. And understandably so. But a close look at Jackson’s season-to-date show that while he didn’t get a Pro Bowl nod, he’s playing at that level.
Ask Horn, his defensive backfield mate, and Jackson is still worthy of an individual end-of-season honor.
“Best in the league,” Horn told reporters Wednesday, smiling. “It’s a popularity contest when it comes to that kind of stuff. But Mike’s been doing it. Like I said, I think he led the league in PBUs last year. Now he has four picks to go with it this year.
“I think he’s having an All-Pro year. Is he gonna get it? I don’t know. Some of it is popularity. But Mike’s having a hell of a year.”
Mike Jackson’s remarkable year ... in numbers
For what it’s worth, Jackson said the end-of-year recognition would be nice, but he also tries to avoid putting too much stock in them.
“This league is fickle sometimes,” he said, adding that he “just likes to play good ball.”
And he has.
Jackson leads the league in pass deflections, according to Pro Football Reference, with 19. He’s also tied for seventh in the league with four interceptions on the year. His fourth pick came in the end zone against the Seattle Seahawks — his former team that traded him for a “stale bag of chips” at the outset of the 2024 season.
Jackson, according to Pro Football Focus, has the third-highest defensive grade among all cornerbacks in the NFL. He also hasn’t missed a game two seasons and rarely misses a snap. At the conclusion of 2024, in fact, he earned a performance-based pay distribution of $1,035,260 — third-most in the league — because of how many snaps he played. He’s on a similar trajectory now.
And the on-field stats is just where it begins for Jackson, Evero said.
“We’ve been so blessed with the way Mike has played the last two years,” Evero said. “He certainly exceeded the expectations of a lot of people. But he did not exceed his expectations. When you look at the way he prepares, the extra time he spends with (defensive pass game coordinator) Jonathan Cooley in the meeting rooms, this guy is as dialed-in of a player as I’ve been around at that position.
“He’s locked in at every walkthrough. He’s strategizing. He has a plan in terms of how he’s playing every receiver, how he’s playing off every receiver. There’s so much great dialogue in our pre-practice walkthroughs between him and his secondary coaches. So it’s not a surprise that he goes and has the performances he does.”
It’s true that it helps that the Panthers have improved as a defense this season, which has let individuals shine more. Takeaways are up. Massive gashes against the run are down. They’re allowing 204.3 passing yards a game — a Top 15 stat, according to Team Rankings — and doing so with a young pass rushing corps that is still developing.
It’s also true that Horn commands a lot of offensive attention.
But it’s also true Jackson, on his own, has been remarkable. And he’s had to be. Evero plays a lot of zone, and regularly, Jackson gets left on an island with an opponent’s premier playmaker.
That happened a bunch Week 16 against the Bucs. Jackson faced off with future Hall of Fame receiver Mike Evans all day; Evans caught a goal-line fade in the end zone early over Jackson but was largely shut down late, with Jackson contributing to the effort.
That matchup will happen again on Saturday afternoon in Tampa, no doubt — with the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2017 on the line. If the Panthers win, they’re in the NFL postseason. (They’re also in with a Falcons win over the Saints on Sunday.)
How is Evero feeling about the inevitable Evans-Jackson matchup?
“We feel good about that matchup,” Evero said. “We feel good about Mike matching a lot of players in this league. And we know that Mike (Evans) is a tough player to cover for anybody.
“There are going to be downs where we’re going to need to roll coverage that way. And then there will be downs when both corners are going to have to go fight them. So that’s the challenge for us this week, and we know it’s going to be a big one.”
Injury report: Rico Dowdle is back
Running back Rico Dowdle, who’s been battling a toe injury this week, was a full participant in practice Wednesday. When asked about it, he smiled, “Hey, that toe ain’t nothing to worry about!” So that’s positive news for the Panthers.
Otherwise, there weren’t many surprises on Wednesday’s injury report:
- Did not participate: Tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders (broken ankle, out for the season, just hasn’t yet moved to IR), cornerback Robert Rochell (concussion), linebacker Claudin Cherelus (calf/ankle).
- Full participant: Rico Dowdle (toe), Robert Hunt (biceps), David Moore (elbow), Turk Wharton (hamstring).
Austin Corbett wins Pro Football Writers Association Good Guy Award
Offensive lineman Austin Corbett was named the 2025 winner of the Tom Berry Good Guy Award, which annually honors the Panthers player who was most helpful to the media. Corbett joins a who’s-who of Panthers players on the list: Brian Burns, Greg Olsen, Josh Norman, Jordan Gross and many others among them.
The vote was conducted among Pro Football Writers of America members. The award was delivered by Carolina chapter PFWA officer Mike Kaye.
This story was originally published December 31, 2025 at 11:28 AM.
