Jaycee Horn has to stop breaking in order to break out.
The Carolina Panthers cornerback was the subject of a recent 15-minute phone interview with The Athletic. Horn, who’s played in just 16 games over his first two NFL seasons, spoke to Joe Person about his injury woes—something he said has been impossible to avoid.
“Obviously, I can’t control some of the injuries I had. That’s nobody’s fault, here or there,” he said. “I’ve got to be available, be on the field, and goals like that — that stuff will take care of itself with playing good football.”
When he is on the field, Horn has played pretty much nothing but good football. Per Pro Football Focus, the former eighth overall selection has allowed just 318 yards and one touchdown over 52 career targets while chalking up four interceptions.
He’d probably have a few more of those picks if not for the numerous setbacks. After a broken right foot limited his rookie campaign to just three outings in 2021, Horn sustained a rib strain and a broken wrist in 2022—a combination of injuries that kept him out of four more tilts.
But now that he’s all healed up, Horn told Person that he feels like he’s in a “good spot.”
“None of that stuff ever bothered me because I’m the one out there trying to get it done. It’s just been unfortunate injuries,” he said. “It’s been all bone breaks, no soft tissue or anything. Just cracked bones. I can’t control that, man. All I can do is try to play some good football when I’m out there and try to take all the precautionary measures to stay on the field. Outside of that, it’s in God’s hands.”
