Panthers star DB Jaycee Horn is ‘in a really good place.’ That’s good news for Carolina

There was a moment, at some point in this year’s offseason program, when Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales learned something new about star cornerback Jaycee Horn.

He loves to talk.

“He loves to bring that edge and that energy, you know?” Canales told reporters Tuesday, after one of the team’s OTA sessions. “Defense makes a couple of good plays, and Jaycee is just letting everybody know. And I think it’s just a really cool part of the personality of this team that I’m looking forward to.”

The fact that Horn isn’t afraid to let his bravado show isn’t new to Carolina fans. The 24-year-old cornerback has been strapping an imaginary seatbelt across his body to celebrate a pass break-up since he was drafted into the league in 2021, and he’s been chirping at opposing wide receivers since his days as a South Carolina Gamecock. You wouldn’t be wrong to call that edge hereditary, considering he’s the son of longtime New Orleans Saints receiver Joe Horn — who’s regarded as one of the greatest showmen and best trash-talkers the NFL has ever seen.

That said, there’s something special about Horn’s presence this summer. The way he talks, the way he competes.

Canales can tell.

“Jaycee, he feels like he’s in a really good place, just in terms of his confidence,” Canales said of the Panthers’ former No. 8 pick. “When he’s out there, he’s going. And that’s kind of been the focus. To say, ‘Hey, we’ll take care of you. We’re going to have a plan. When you’re out there, go for it.’ And he’s really taken to that, so that’s been great.”

Horn’s confidence in his ability hasn’t wavered since his arrival in the NFL. But his confidence in his durability — in avoiding injury — has certainly been tested. It was only three games into his rookie season before Horn broke several bones in his foot. He didn’t finish out his second year, either, thanks to a broken wrist he suffered in Week 16. And last year, Horn suffered a non-contact hamstring injury in Week 1 that kept him off the field until Week 13.

Horn’s injury history has weighed heavily on the cornerback, he told reporters this offseason. It impacted his offseason training regimen. Horn said he’s gone back to his college weight training program where “I’m lifting heavy and trying to build my body back up and reset everything.” He’s doing so, he said, because “obviously what I did in the years before didn’t work” — although he did acknowledge there was some instances of bad luck in that stretch, too.

But again, something seems different this offseason. Defensive passing-game coordinator Jonathan Cooley, who’s entering his second year in Carolina, can sense it, too.

“I think he’s been the clearest, mentally, this season that he’s been,” Cooley said Tuesday. “He seems free. He seems excited to perform. And he’s focused on just getting better each day. And that’s all you can ask from a great player: to attack each day. He comes to work with urgency, and he tries to get better at something. So he’s been in a fantastic mindset, I think.”

It’s worth noting that Horn’s health is a priority this year — perhaps more than it’s ever been.

After hoping to “run it back” with the same core of that stout 2023 defense — a unit that finished third in total defense and kept the league-worst 2-15 Panthers in a lot of games — Carolina suffered some major attrition on defense. Brian Burns was traded to New York. Veteran cornerback Donte Jackson was traded to the Steelers. Linebacker Frankie Luvu fled in free agency to the Commanders. Jeremy Chinn found a home in Washington, too.

That’s not to say the Panthers haven’t tried to replenish their defense. Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, after being in the mix for several head-coaching jobs, returned to Carolina. General manager Dan Morgan supervised the deal with Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown — who signed a four-year, $96 million extension in April — and he also picked up Horn’s fifth-year option, meaning that Horn’s salaries in 2024 and 2025 are fully guaranteed.

Still, Horn’s presence this year will be invaluable. He leads a cornerback group that could use some depth, even with the acquisition of Dane Jackson, the retention of Troy Hill and the drafting of Chau Smith-Wade.

Not only that, it’ll be invaluable for Horn as a competitor, he said — after three seasons of hearing the same thing: that he’s a great player who can’t stay on the field.

“I know that without the fans saying that, or anybody else,” Horn said. “I watch the tape. I know what I’m capable of. And I still feel like I’m one of the best DBs in the league, and I just got to be out there to show it.”

That’s the kind of confidence Canales has enjoyed getting to know, the talk he loves to hear.

The same is true for the entire Carolina Panthers team — whose on-field product is much better when Horn has something to say.