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Jaycee Horn Injury Makes Donte Jackson Reunion a Real Option for Panthers Before Deadline
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- Jaycee Horn Injury Makes Donte Jackson Reunion a Real Option for Panthers Before Deadline
Bank of America Stadium hosts Denver on Sunday, and the Carolina Panthers still don't know who will line up at cornerback. Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson are on injured reserve, and the Panthers lost their top four cornerbacks by the end of the Packers game. A familiar name in Los Angeles could help.
CBS Sports' JP Acosta named Chargers cornerback Donte Jackson as Carolina's realistic deadline target in his trade scenarios for every contender , with Khalil Mack as the pipe dream. Jackson "has played in a lot of schemes and is smart in zone coverage, which is what the Panthers major in," Acosta wrote.
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Why Donte Jackson makes sense again
Jan 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson (2) and cornerback Jaycee Horn (8) react in the fourth quarter in an NFC Wild Card Round game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Carolina knows Jackson well. He spent his first six seasons with the Panthers and started 76 games with 14 interceptions, as we noted when we listed him first among Carolina's deadline targets . He can play inside and outside, which matters for a room that finished the Green Bay game with Chau Smith-Wade, Marco Wilson and Malcolm DeWalt IV.
His best recent tape came in a zone-heavy scheme. Jackson earned a 71.9 overall grade with four interceptions for the Chargers in 2025, according to PFF . This season has been quieter. A hamstring injury limited him to 113 snaps, and he has a 59.8 grade in that small sample.
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The coaching staff has a connection, too. Carolina brought DeAngelo Hall back to coach the secondary, and interim defensive coordinator Todd Wash is adjusting the defense without a reset . A veteran who already knows the building would need less time to get ready.
Money is the hard part. Jackson is in the final year of a two-year, $13 million deal with a $6 million base salary, according to Over the Cap . Carolina is $740,127 over the cap, per Over the Cap's cap space tracker , so any deal would mean sending salary back to Los Angeles.
Dave Canales already left the door open. "We'd always be open to different things if it makes sense," he said after the Packers loss, according to the team's website . With the NFC South still in reach, bringing back a corner Carolina drafted is a move general manager Dan Morgan can justify if the money works.
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This story was originally published by Athlon on Nov 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
