Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn got cut on his left foot during practice last week. It looked bad at first. But he’s already back on the field, activated from the NFI list and practicing at Bank of America Stadium as training camp rolls on.
Horn is a big piece of this defense. At 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, with that kind of length and physicality, he’s the kind of corner you build around. The Panthers clearly think so. They gave him a four-year, $100 million extension last year, making him the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history. That’s a lot of pressure for a guy who just turned 26. But he seems to handle most of it fine.
The one thing he can’t quite quit? Arguing with fans on social media.
Horn Admits He’s Too Competitive to Ignore Trolls
Horn told reporters he knows he should stay off social media. He knows it’s a bad look when he fires back at fans who take shots at him. But he’s competitive. It’s not that simple.
“I’m trying to stay out of it a little more,” Horn said, according to The Athletic’s Joe Person. “I’ll probably delete all of that going into the season because I’m too competitive. I’d reply to some of them. Bruce (Speight) is hitting my phone, getting on me. So I will try to just stay out, probably.”
He laughed when he said it. But you can tell it’s a real thing. Speight is the Panthers’ PR director. And apparently, he’s got Horn’s number saved for exactly these moments. Horn jokes that every time he hits send on a reply to a fan, his phone buzzes with a text from Speight telling him to knock it off.
It’s a pretty common story across sports. Athletes say they don’t listen to the noise. But some of them absolutely do. Horn is honest enough to admit it.
Bryce Young and the Offense Are Giving the Defense Problems
As for the actual football stuff, Wednesday was a rough day for Horn and the rest of the defensive unit. Quarterback Bryce Young has been dialed in during camp, and he carved them up pretty good.
Horn didn’t sugarcoat it. “Jaycee Horn says the Panthers offense ‘whooped our asses’ for most of practice,” according to Charlotte Observer reporter Mike Kaye.
That’s not all bad. Iron sharpens iron, and all that. The Panthers made the playoffs last season for the first time in seven years. Young looked like the guy they thought they were drafting. Horn got his bag. The vibes in Carolina are genuinely good right now.
Horn will probably delete his apps before Week 1. Either that or he’ll keep getting those texts from Bruce. We’ll see which one wins.
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