Everyone associated with the Carolina Panthers knows how good Jaycee Horn is when fit and firing on all cylinders. But after a superb campaign in 2024, the cornerback is finally starting to get the league-wide respect fans demanded.
Horn silenced his critics emphatically during the previous campaign. Questions were lingering about whether he could remove the injury-prone tag or not after a frustrating first three seasons in the NFL. Those were answered in no uncertain terms.
The former first-round pick cemented his status among the league's brightest young corners with an exceptional campaign. Horn was arguably the only Carolina defender to emerge with credit from the season, earning Pro Bowl honors and locking down almost everyone in his path. Perhaps more impressive was his willingness to assist against the run, which is an outstanding part of his game that often goes overlooked.
Dan Morgan had seen enough. He gave Horn a lucrative contract extension this offseason, making him a franchise cornerstone and the NFL's highest-paid cornerback briefly. Although it's hardly chump change, the recent deals given to Sauce Gardner and Derek Stingley Jr. meant the Panthers were right to get ahead of the game.
Carolina Panthers sar Jaycee Horn finally recognized among NFL's elite cornerbacks
Horn's progress was also recognized in Jeremy Fowler from ESPN's annual cornerback rankings, which gauge votes from influential figures around the NFL. The South Carolina product ranked No. 7, with a personnel evaluator highlighting how well the player has performed when healthy enough to participate.
"His only thing is health. When he's been on the field the past three years, he's been good. Can play inside and out, urgent and physical in the run game."NFL personnel evaluator via ESPN
This is a fair assessment. Horn's talent was never in question. Even during the three contests he started as a rookie, his accomplished capabilities in coverage were hard to ignore. Now that he's put a consistent run of games together, nothing is holding him back.
The Panthers will demand more from Horn. With a bigger payday comes raised expectations, but he's more than capable of meeting them. He's already assumed more of a leadership role without the presence of defensive linchpin Shaq Thompson. The defensive back is also out to prove worthy of the huge financial outlay given by the Panthers.
Whether others in the cornerback room can meet their end of the bargain is debatable. Regardless, the Panthers know exactly what they're getting from Horn every week.
And if Horn takes another leap forward in 2025, he'll be a lot higher on this list next year.