Jaycee Horn enjoys ‘ironic’ healthy streak for the Panthers

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn celebrates after intercepting a pass against the Los Angeles Chargers Sept. 15 at Bank of America Stadium. Horn, who has appeared in 27 of a possible 57 regular season games over his career, has started all five games in 2024.

At the receiving end of a post-touchdown, rub-it-in-his-face shove from behind, Jaycee Horn felt disrespected.

The Carolina Panthers cornerback admitted to losing his cool. He pushed back, igniting a brief end-zone melee at Soldier Field.  

Obviously frustrated after Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson’s 1-yard touchdown run with 4:23 remaining, Horn’s response to offensive tackle Bill Murray’s shove had been building.   
Horn was ejected from the eventual 36-10 loss.  

“I just felt like it was a little extra shove by him at the end of the play,” Horn told reporters Monday. “I lost my composure a little bit, and due to the circumstances of the game. Just how the game was going, and I didn’t like him trying to shove me after the play. It was kind of like an emphasis on their win.

“The trash talk got out of hand. Definitely on me.”  

Considering the number of injured defensive starters continues to mount and shades of last season’s No. 4-ranked defense fading, additional responsibilities could fall on Horn, one of the NFL’s most athletic defensive backs.

Staying on the field 

That Horn remains in the lineup during the Panthers’ recent rash of injuries could be considered irony. Hampered by a string of injuries, the 2021 No. 8 overall draft pick has appeared in only 27 of 57 career games. Last season, he was limited to six starts. In that limited sample size, though, Horn registered a career-best 84.1 overall defensive grade, per Pro Football Focus.  

Horn’s availability is not a paradox to Ejiro Evero, the Panthers defensive coordinator, who witnessed the effort Horn made to remain healthy.  

“No, it’s not ironic,” Evero said Thursday. “We all saw the work he put in the offseason to take care of his body and get ready for the rigors of the season. That’s kudos to him.”

Evero appeared less surprised with Horn starting the first five games of the season than his shock over the volume of sidelined defensive talent. Defensive tackle Derrick Brown, cornerback Dane Jackson, safety Jordan Fuller, special teams ace Sam Franklin Jr. and linebacker Shaq Thompson are among the contributors who will miss Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium.

For much of the season, the Panthers (1-4) have looked like they played hurt. Through five games, the defense has yielded the most points (165) in the NFL. Cincinnati, the 31st-ranked club, allow 20 fewer points. The Panthers also rank 27th in run defense (144.6 yards per game).

With Horn missing 12 games last season, the Panthers’ defense, led by Brown’s Pro Bowl campaign, placed fourth in yards allowed per game (293.9).

Evero expects Horn’s leadership to grow  

With Horn in the lineup, Evero is confident he’ll employ a bona fide CB1. Horn could be needed to help ground the Falcons (3-2), who rank sixth in passing yards per game (260.6). Quarterback Kirk Cousins amassed a franchise-record 509 yards and four touchdown passes during a Week 5 win. Wide receiver Drake London collected 12 catches for 154 yards and a TD.  

During the offseason, Horn was challenged with defending three receivers with three distinct styles. Horn defended against Diontae Johnson’s precise route running, countered Adam Thielen’s cerebral play and matched Xavier Legette’s speed and athleticism.

After missing so much time during his first three seasons, the distinctive styles helped Horn refine his technique.

After deflecting a long pass away from Johnson during practice July 29, Horn displayed emotion and shouted toward members of the media: “Y’all go post that! That s#!% straps!”  

With so many defensive stalwarts sidelined Sunday against the NFC South-rival Falcons, Evero expects Horn to continue developing into a defensive leader. His 19 solo tackles rank second on the team and the Week 2 interception is one of the club’s five takeaways.

“He is a leader, and he will continue to grow into that,” Evero said. “He will be a leader just by the way he plays and works. As he becomes more experienced, he will become more vocal.”

More experienced? That means remaining healthy and possibly competing in all 17 games for the first time in his career.  

Despite his over-emotional response last week, veteran tight end Jordan Matthews understands Horn’s team value.

“I call him '100 Mil Horn' because that’s how much he’s worth,” Matthews said. “He's a beast.”

And healthy.

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