Panthers first-rounder Jaycee Horn exits Texans game with injury
Not long after Christian McCaffrey exited Thursday night’s Panthers vs. Texans game, Carolina’s first-round pick Jaycee Horn had to be carted off the field.
The cornerback went down with a non-contact leg injury in the third quarter while defending a route. Horn was beginning a back-pedal when he fell down.
Horn will not return and is officially out with a foot injury, according to James Palmer of NFL Network. The rookie received X-rays in the stadium after the injury.
Horn’s backup on the Carolina depth chart is University of Washington alum Keith Taylor. The Panthers drafted Taylor in the fifth round of the 2020 draft.
The Carolina Panthers were expecting big things out of cornerback Jaycee Horn when they drafted him with the eighth overall selection in April’s NFL draft out of South Carolina. They’ve already started to get some return on that investment.
Horn snagged the first interception of his NFL career on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.
According to Pro Football Focus, in 71 coverage snaps this season, Horn’s allowed just two receptions.
Horn was rated as one of the top cornerback prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Early in fall camp, Horn had to adjust to the very strict rules in pass coverage in the NFL that make it difficult for defensive backs to be physical with the wide receivers.
“Jaycee is grabbing and holding too much,” Panthers head coach Matt Rhule told the Charlotte Observer. “A lot of those calls are going to get called back. I love Jaycee’s tenacity, but he’s got to master his craft along the way and he knows that.”
Horn agreed with his head coach.
“I definitely need to work on it. I definitely need to keep my hands out of there, but also still bring the physical mindset and physical attitude to the game,” he said.
Two big blows for Panthers
Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey is out for the rest of the Texans-Panthers contest with a hamstring injury, according to Field Yates of ESPN.
With McCaffrey and Jaycee Horn out, the Panthers lead the Texans by eight, 14-6.
Before he exited with the injury, McCaffrey had seven rushing attempts in the game for 31 rushing yards. The former Stanford product also hauled in two catches for nine yards.
So far this season, McCaffrey has already hauled in over 100 rushing yards and over 100 receiving yards for the Panthers. He’s long been one of the best all-purpose backs in the National Football League, so he’s going to be missed and in the biggest of ways.
So far in his highly decorated NFL career with the Panthers, McCaffrey has rushed for over 3,300 rushing yards and hauled in over 2,800 receiving yards.
On3’s Wade Peery also contributed to this report.