Reports: Panthers star Jaycee Horn to miss ‘multiple weeks’ with hamstring injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - The Carolina Panthers will be without star cornerback Jaycee Horn for “multiple weeks” after he suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday, per reports.

The news, which was broken by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, is not good for a Panthers team already lacking depth in the secondary.

Horn’s injury came in the second quarter of Sunday’s season-opening loss to the Atlanta Falcons, and adds to what has no doubt been a plagued bill of health for the star defender since coming into the league.

Out of 35 possible regular-season games since the Panthers selected him in the first round in 2021, Horn has played in only 17 games.

As a rookie, he suffered a foot fracture in just the third game of the year. He was subsequently placed on injured reserve and missed the rest of the season. In 2022, he missed the team’s last two games after fracturing his wrist, an injury that required surgery.

Coming into this season, Horn started off injured, missing OTAs with an ankle injury. He was healthy by training camp.

Now, only a game into the new campaign, the Panthers are once again worn thin at cornerback. Donte Jackson started the opener opposite Horn, but is also returning from a major injury in 2022. Troy Hill and C.J. Henderson are listed as backups on Carolina’s depth chart and saw significant playing time on Sunday, however, both have had their struggles in the past.

The Panthers’ lack of quality cornerback play was evident in a Week 17 matchup with Tampa Bay last season, when Henderson and Keith Taylor started in place of Horn and Jackson. Then Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady through for 432 yards and three touchdowns in that game, including 63, 57 and 30-yard scores. Carolina did little to address the position in the offseason, creating cause for similar concern.

It remains to be seen just how long Horn will be out with the hamstring injury, but his presence is a big one for a defense that hopes to compete for a division title in 2023.

In 17 career games, he has recorded 59 tackles and four interceptions, while proving to be one of the best cover-corners in the league.

Carolina’s next game is on Sept. 18 when the team hosts the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football. It will be the first home start for rookie quarterback Bryce Young.

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