All things considered (and things being a flurry of injuries and a not-so-complementary offense), the Carolina Panthers defense has been quite solid this season. But they’ll be a whole lot better when a particular pair of hamstrings finally heal up.
Those hammies belong to cornerback Jaycee Horn and safety Xavier Woods, who have now missed multiple weeks due to their early setbacks. Head coach Frank Reich was asked about their statuses on Wednesday.
Buy Panthers Tickets“Making very good progress,” he replied. “Making very good progress. I don’t wanna put a timetable on ’em, but really encouraged with Jaycee’s progress and Xavier. I would say they’re both ahead of schedule—and encouraged by that.”
Horn went down in the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons. The 2021 eighth overall pick, who now has missed 21 of a possible 38 career games, subsequently underwent surgery on his hamstring.
Woods would pull up with his injury a few weeks later in Seattle. He has been sidelined for the last two outings.
Reich was also asked about outside linebacker Marquis Haynes Sr., who hasn’t appeared in any games in 2023.
“Marquis is doin’ well,” he said. “It’s probably gonna be another minute. Talked about him this morning, and he’s makin’ good progress. But we’re still goin’ week to week on that.”
Haynes Sr. injured his back early in training camp. He was placed on injured reserve to begin the regular season.
