Jaycee Horn is one of the league's best shutdown cornerbacks. The Carolina Panthers are now paying him like one after signing him to a lucrative contract extension ahead of time this offseason.
There are a couple of reasons why some in the national media don't class Horn among the NFL's truly elite. The former first-round pick dealt with some injury issues over his first three seasons in the league. Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero also doesn't let the player travel to go up against the opposition's most prolific receiving threat at all times.
This is something the likes of Derek Stingley Jr., Sauce Gardner, and Patrick Surtain II do regularly. There's no doubt that Horn would relish the challenge of moving around the field, but Evero has been extremely reluctant to deploy this within his contentious 3-4 base concepts.
Ejiro Evero tight-lipped as Carolina Panthers fans demand Jaycee Horn strategy shift
Whether that's down to a lack of trust in others or the fact that Evero just doesn't like doing it, remains to be seen. But if Horn gets some extra freedom to nullify some legitimate WR1 options on Carolina's schedule in 2025, that's going to help enormously.
Evero was asked about whether Horn will get the chance to shadow during his recent media availability. Although the play-caller said it was too soon to say, his reply didn't hold out much hope that a change of plans was coming.
"I'm not sure about that right now. We're not at the game plan part of it. We're just trying to develop our skills. But we'll see about that."Ejiro Evero
I asked Ejiro Evero if we would see Jaycee Horn travel this season.
— Sheena Quick (@Sheena_Marie3) August 12, 2025
“We’ll see about that.”#Panthers pic.twitter.com/eSUni8SGYJ
The coordinator is under immense pressure to turn the tide this season. Evero got a reprieve despite overseeing a campaign where the Panthers conceded the most single-season points in NFL history, but the leash is shorter than ever. That's why taking risks and doing things differently is critical.
Horn is at his best when he's in one-on-one situations. The Panthers can comfortably leave him on an island, and they'd get far more positive plays than negative. He thrives in press-man situations, and his tackling is nothing short of exceptional. With Mike Jackson Sr. and Chau Smith-Wade demonstrating improvements this summer, perhaps that will provide Evero with enough to alter his strategy.
Evero isn't going to give away his game plan at this early stage. But if he doesn't play to Horn's strengths and the defense continues to struggle, his hot seat is only going to get warmer.
And there might be no coming back from that.