Jaycee Horn - Pro Football Rumors

Panthers CB Horn Is “Full Go”

May 28th, 2022 at 5:59pm CST by Ely Allen

After missing almost all of his rookie season with an injury, cornerback Jaycee Horn is feeling great and is reportedly “full go.” According to Steve Reed, a sports writer for The Associated Press, Horn told himself to be patient while dealing with the frustration of not being able to help his new team.

In the 2021 NFL Draft, the Panthers used their No. 8 overall pick to select Horn out of South Carolina. The expectation was that they would slot Horn as an immediate starter at nickel alongside free agent addition cornerback A.J. Bouye and starter Donte Jackson. Horn showed promise early, recording his first career interception in the second game of the season against division-rival Jameis Winston and the Saints.

In a Week 3 game against the Texans, Horn fractured bones in his foot, landing him on injured reserve. Unfortunately, he never made it back to the field in 2021, his rookie season ending after only three starts. In an attempt to make up for his absence, the Panthers would trade for two other former-top-10 draft picks in C.J. Henderson and Stephon Gilmore.

With Horn fully healthy and ready to contribute, the Panthers’ cornerbacks room is looking much younger. Bouye and Gilmore left as free agents, although Bouye is still unsigned and could always return, leaving Jackson, Henderson, and Horn to lead the room. Behind them will likely be veteran journeyman Rashaan Melvin, Keith Taylor, who was forced into action due to the litany of injuries at the position last year, and Chris Westry who started two games for a very injured Ravens secondary last year. Seventh-round draft pick Kalon Barnes, Myles Hartsfield, Stantley Thomas-Oliver III, and Madre Harper will also be competing for roster spots this preseason.

The young, new-look cornerback group of Jackson, Henderson, and Horn holds a lot of potential. With safeties Jeremy Chinn and Xavier Woods patrolling centerfield behind them, the three former-SEC standouts will have plenty of opportunities to bring the same success to Carolina that they displayed in college.

NFC East Notes: Parsons, McAdoo, Giants

December 1st, 2021 at 10:06pm CST by Ben Levine

The Cowboys are more than happy that they landed on linebacker Micah Parsons with the 12th-overall pick in this year’s draft. Parsons has started each of his 11 games for Dallas, collecting 67 tackles, nine sacks, and two forced fumbles, and he’s the runaway favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year. However, if the Cowboys had had their way, they would have used their selection on a cornerback.

As Jon Machota of The Athletic writes, the team’s “original plan” was to select either South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn or Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II. However, those cornerbacks were scooped up at No. 8 and No. 9 respectively, forcing the front office to pivot. They ended up landing on the Penn State linebacker (after trading down), and the organization couldn’t be happier with how it all turned out.

Parsons explained to Machota how he continues to improve throughout his first season in the NFL.

“People always talk about the rookie wall,” Parsons said, “but I just keep climbing and climbing because I’m excited to see what’s on the other side of that wall.

“I love what we have here. I’m just so honored and blessed to represent the star and have an opportunity to be a star here.”

Some more notes out of the NFC East…

The Cowboys are dealing with COVID-19 cases throughout their staff, so they’ll be temporarily promoting Ben McAdoo to a coaching role, tweets NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. McAdoo, who had been serving as a “consultant to the coaches” in Dallas, will be in the coaches booth for tomorrow’s game against the Saints. The 44-year-old spent two years as the Giants head coach between 2016 and 2017, and he returned to the NFL last season when he was hired as the Jaguars QBs coach.
Guess who else liked Horn and Surtain? The Giants, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, but the Eagles’ decision to trade up (with the Cowboys, no less) to select wideout DeVonta Smith was the move that really threw New York’s draft into disarray. With the organization’s targets off the board, the team ultimately decided to trade with the Bears, with the Giants selecting wideout Kadarius Toney at No. 20.
Another Cowboys/Giants connection: Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv writes that the Joe Judge/Jason Garrett pairing in New York was always an “arranged marriage.” Co-owner John Mara was the one who pushed to add Garrett as the team’s offensive coordinator, and the former Cowboys head coach was an “outlier” on a staff that generally had connections to their head coach. Garrett was ultimately canned by Judge and the Giants in late November after the team had collected a league-low 42 touchdowns.
Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports opines that the Giants should go all out on Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson this offseason. The writer cites the organization’s draft capital (which, at the moment, includes picks No. 6 and No. 7), Daniel Jones‘ disappointment in New York, and Wilson’s supposed desire to play in the Big Apple. Assuming GM Dave Gettleman is out after the season, this would be a bold way for a new GM to begin their tenure, but the writer believes this would be preferable to rolling with Jones or drafting a quarterback in a weak class.

Jaycee Horn Aiming For Late-Season Return

October 16th, 2021 at 2:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jaycee Horn‘s injury prompted the Panthers move swiftly at cornerback. The team now has 2020 top-10 pick C.J. Henderson and 2019 Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore on its roster.

But the Panthers are not closing the book on Horn playing again this season. Horn underwent foot surgery two weeks ago and is eyeing a return late this season, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. It is not clear if the rookie corner will be ready to make it back during Carolina’s regular-season slate, with Fowler adding the South Carolina product would aim at being ready to return by the playoffs — should the Panthers qualify for the first time since 2017.

Horn broke three metatarsal bones during the Panthers’ Week 3 win over the Texans. At that point, this year’s No. 8 overall pick was set to determine his course of action. One of those paths was to shut it down and prepare to return for the 2022 season. It appears Horn will not take that route yet. A two- to three-month recovery timetable comes with the surgery Horn underwent.

Henderson has seen part-time action for his new team thus far, playing 32 snaps over the past two Panthers games. Gilmore is expected to be ready to return from his quad injury when first eligible in Week 7. After his suspension and a subsequent injury, offseason addition A.J. Bouye has moved into Carolina’s starting lineup opposite Donte Jackson.

The playoffs begin a week later this year, opening in mid-January. The Panthers have dropped their past two games, falling to 3-2, so they will have work to do in order to see their full assortment of corners play together.

Gilmore Extension Not Yet In Panthers’ Plans

October 6th, 2021 at 4:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Panthers made a second major addition to their cornerback group Wednesday, acquiring former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore from the Patriots. This followed Carolina’s trade for C.J. Henderson.

Carolina now takes on Gilmore’s contract. While Gilmore is attached to the $13MM-per-year deal he signed in 2017, he is due less than $7MM in 2021 base salary going forward. Gilmore’s contract expires after this season, but Panthers GM Scott Fitterer said the team will not immediately extend him post-trade (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s David Newton).

Gilmore expressed disappointment regarding his contract for years in New England, when he outplayed the deal he signed after coming over from Buffalo. He skipped the Patriots’ offseason program this year. Since his two All-Pro nods, however, Gilmore missed five games last year and is guaranteed to miss the first six this season due to the quadriceps injury he sustained late in 2020.

Fitterer does expect Gilmore to be ready to come off the PUP list when first eligible in Week 7, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Carolina’s new GM would seem to have extensive information on Gilmore, as they live next to each other in Charlotte. Gilmore is a South Carolina native who starred with the Gamecocks in college.

Gilmore turned 31 last month, and a potential re-up with the Panthers will likely hinge on his 2021 performance. While a high-cost short-term deal might be in the cards after a strong season, Gilmore’s window to land Jalen Ramsey-level money is likely closed. The corner’s camp acknowledged as much earlier this year, though Gilmore’s team did float Darius Slay‘s three-year, $50MM Eagles deal as a comp during his discussions with the Pats.

The Panthers have reshaped their cornerback room via the trade market, but they are not giving up on Jaycee Horn coming back this season. Carolina’s first-round pick broke three broken bones in his foot during the team’s Week 3 win and landed on IR. He was said to be conversing with his camp about the best course of action — be it a late-season return or preparing for the 2022 season. The Panthers remain hopeful the former scenario can come to pass, Fitterer said (via Newton, on Twitter). Matt Rhule said late last month Horn was set to undergo surgery. A two- to three-month recovery timetable is in the cards with that operation.

Panthers Won’t Put Christian McCaffrey On IR

September 27th, 2021 at 2:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Good news for Christian McCaffrey. Panthers head coach Matt Rhule says his injured hamstring won’t require a stint on the injured reserve list (Twitter link via Darin Gantt of the team website).

This means that CMC could return in less than three games, which would have been the minimum stint on IR. The Panthers are hoping to avoid a repeat of last year, when the running back missed all but three games with a shoulder injury. When healthy, there are few playmakers quite like McCaffrey.

In 2019, CMC set the league on fire with 2,392 all-purpose yards and 19 touchdowns. And, through his two games-and-change this year, McCaffrey looked sharp with 52 carries for 201 yards and a touchdown, plus 16 grabs for 163 yards.

Meanwhile, cornerback Jaycee Horn will likely land on the IR list now that he’s set for surgery on his broken foot. In a best case scenario, Horn could still return towards the end of the season. In the meantime, he’ll be replaced by newcomer C.J. Henderson, a highly-touted first rounder from just last year.

Surgery For Panthers’ Jaycee Horn?

September 24th, 2021 at 10:09am CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers could be without Jaycee Horn for a while. The early word is that the cornerback has multiple broken bones in his foot, which would require surgery and two to three months of recovery (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).

Horn broke three bones in his foot, Matt Rhule said Friday, and the rookie and his family will determine his plans from here. Surgery is certainly on the table. It could well mean Horn’s initial NFL season will end after three games.

A late-season return represents Horn’s best-case scenario. Horn went down on a non-contact play Thursday night and had to be carted off. He was unable to put weight on his leg, an immediate sign of something serious. Meanwhile, the Panthers also saw star running back Christian McCaffrey and safety Juston Burris exit early.

Horn, the first cornerback drafted this year, finished his Ohio State run with two interceptions and six passes defended in just seven games. Through his first two pro games, the No. 8 overall pick has three tackles and one interception to his credit.

He’ll likely land on the injured reserve list, elevating veteran Rashaan Melvin to a larger role. Carolina, however, is likely to have A.J. Bouye in action soon. After missing two games due to a PED suspension, Bouye missed Thursday’s game with an undisclosed injury. Rhule expects Bouye to be ready for Week 4, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets.

Panthers CB Jaycee Horn Suffers Broken Foot

September 23rd, 2021 at 10:04pm CST by Ben Levine

The injuries are starting to pile up for the Panthers. After Christian McCaffrey left Thursday’s game, we learned that first-round cornerback Jaycee Horn suffered a significant injury. The rookie suffered a broken foot during tonight’s game against the Texans, reports ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (via Twitter).

Horn went down on a non-contact play and had to be carted off the field during the first possession of the second half. Per Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com, the cornerback couldn’t put weight on his leg. This is a tough break for a Panthers team that also lost safety Juston Burris during tonight’s game. There’s no definitive timetable on Horn’s return, but a trip to the IR seems likely.

Horn was on the draft radar ever since his solid 2018 showing. By 2020, he solidified his status as an elite prospect. In his final year with the Buckeyes, Horn nabbed a pair interceptions and notched six passes defended in just seven games (Horn sat out the final stretch of the year after the departure of head coach Will Muschamp). Thanks to his performance, Horn was the first cornerback off the board in this year’s draft, going eighth overall to the Panthers. Through his first two NFL games, Horn had collected three tackles and one interception.

With Horn out of the picture, Rashaan Melvin will likely see an uptick in reps.

Panthers, Jaycee Horn Agree To Deal

June 15th, 2021 at 10:24am CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers have agreed to terms with first-round pick Jaycee Horn (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). The South Carolina product will earn $21.1MM fully guaranteed on his four-year deal, per the terms of his No. 8 overall slot

As expected, Horn was the first cornerback to come off of the board, beating out the likes of Patrick Surtain and Caleb Farley. The rival Saints also had an eye on him, but they couldn’t swing a deal to get into the top 10.

Many believed that the Panthers would target offensive line help for new quarterback Sam Darnold, but they couldn’t pass up Horn’s potential. The son of former Pro Bowl wideout Joe Horn, the defensive back offers a rare combination of speed and physicality at cornerback.

Horn was on the draft radar ever since his solid 2018 showing. By 2020, he solidified his status as an elite prospect. In his final year with the Buckeyes, Horn nabbed a pair interceptions and notched six passes defended in just seven games (Horn sat out the final stretch of the year after the departure of head coach Will Muschamp).

With Horn taken care of, only ten of this year’s 32 first-rounders remain unsigned. That includes the top four in this year’s draft — Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, and Kyle Pitts. Meanwhile, the Panthers have just three stragglers to go.

Saints Tried To Trade Up For Jaycee Horn, Patrick Surtain II

April 30th, 2021 at 2:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints ended up bolstering their defensive end corps in the first round, but the four-time reigning AFC South champions spent extensive time Thursday night attempting to trade up for a cornerback.

Jaycee Horn appealed most to the team, according to The Athletic’s Jeff Duncan (subscription required). New Orleans’ trade efforts to move into the top 10 centered on Joe Horn‘s son, but teams were not eager to move out of their positions that high in the draft. Most did not entertain the Saints’ pre-draft offers.

The effort to trade into the top 10 also involved Patrick Surtain II, whom the Saints expected to be gone by No. 10 (Dallas). However, only one team picking that high entered into substantive discussions with the Saints, per Duncan. The Broncos ended up taking Surtain at No. 9 but had previously talked about moving down with the Saints. And “substantive” might be excessive here, with the Broncos wanting multiple first- and second-round picks to move down 18 spots. Viewing the Broncos’ counteroffer as unreasonable, the Saints did not entertain it and later watched as Denver selected the Alabama corner just after Carolina drafted Horn.

Three years ago, the Saints managed to pull off a somewhat similar trade. They moved from No. 27 to No. 14 to select Marcus Davenport. That deal cost the team a 2019 first-rounder and a fifth-rounder later in the ’18 draft. New Orleans ended up adding to its D-end crew Thursday by selecting Payton Turner, but the team has a clear need going into Friday’s draft portion.

Finding a corner to join Marshon Lattimore and C.J. Garnder-Johnson will be paramount for the Saints on Friday night. They are expected to add multiple players to this position by offseason’s end, per Duncan. New Orleans lost Janoris Jenkins in free agency. While Patrick Robinson remains on the team, the Saints have not used the veteran extensively in his second stint with the team.

Panthers Select South Carolina CB Jaycee Horn At No. 9

April 29th, 2021 at 8:19pm CST by Ben Levine

The 2021 NFL Draft offers a handful of top-tier cornerback prospects, and the first one is finally off the board. With the ninth-overall pick, the Panthers selected South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn.

It always seemed like a foregone conclusion that Horn would be selected in the first round of the draft; it was just a matter of if he’d be the first cornerback off the board. He ultimately earned that distinction, beating out the likes of Patrick Surtain and Caleb Farley.

The son of former Pro Bowl wideout Joe Horn, the defensive back prospect has more than family pedigree on his side. Standing at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Horn possesses the rare combination of speed and physicality. The prospect undoubtedly has the talent to become one of the top players at his position, and the Panthers are clearly bullish on his potential.

Horn was on the draft radar for several years following solid campaigns in 2018 and 2019. He seemed to elevate his play in 2020, collecting a pair of interceptions, six passes defended, and 10 tackles in only seven games. However, following the dismissal of head coach Will Muschamp, Horn sat out the final stretch of the 2020 campaign.

Considering the draft capital that the Panthers gave up for Sam Darnold, it’s a bit of a surprise that the front office didn’t look to provide their new quarterback with offensive line help. Still, it’s hard to be critical of the Horn selection. Carolina’s current depth chart consists of Donte Jackson and Troy Pride, so the rookie will probably be a starter from Day 1.