The Carolina Panthers will be without their starting cornerback duo for at least the next four games as they placed Jaycee Horn (quad) and Mike Jackson (groin) on injured reserve Wednesday after both were injured in the Week 3 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
Panthers coach Dave Canales said Jackson underwent successful surgery on his groin Tuesday. Horn, meanwhile, will not have surgery with what NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Monday was a torn quad. Canales did not rule either player out for the season.
Jackson led the NFL with 19 pass breakups last season, and he and Horn -- a back-to-back Pro Bowler -- combined for nine interceptions in 2025 as one of the most effective cornerback duos in the league.
Along with the injuries at cornerback, starting right tackle Monroe Freeling is in the concussion protocol, Canales said. Freeling felt symptoms after the game and worked off to the side at Wednesday's practice. Canales said he was hopeful that Freeling will be cleared Thursday.
That follows sources telling NFL Network's Mike Garafolo and Rapoport on Tuesday that starting left guard Damien Lewis will be sidelined for a few weeks with an ulnar collateral ligament injury in an elbow. Canales acknowledged that Lewis would at least be out for "Sunday Night Football" against the Detroit Lions in Week 4, saying Lewis "needs a week."
With Horn and Jackson out of the mix at cornerback, the Panthers will need to rely on 2026 fourth-round pick Will Lee, Chau Smith-Wade and special teams ace Akayleb Evans. Carolina signed veteran Robert Rochell to the practice squad Wednesday. Corey Thornton, Zion Childress and undrafted rookie DeVonta Smith are also on the practice roster.
Canales, in addressing Horn's injury Monday, said replacing his top cornerback isn't possible, but now he will need to find replacements for both his starting boundary cover men.
"There's no replacing Jaycee Horn," Canales said. "He has had such an amazing offseason training camp, in season, just the energy, the preparation, all the different things. [He] has been amazing, has been really beautiful, so there's no replacing that. We're not asking our guys to replace Jaycee. We're just asking them to do their job."
The Panthers are also monitoring injuries for starting quarterback Bryce Young (lower body), wide receivers Jalen Coker (quad) and Xavier Legette (knee), safety Nick Scott (rib), and inside linebacker Devin Lloyd (calf).
With Coker and Legette questionable entering the week of work, the Panthers promoted veteran wide receiver David Moore from the practice squad. They also promoted running back Anthony Tyus III from the practice roster after he made his NFL debut against the Browns. Tyus will effectively slot into the third running back spot behind Chuba Hubbard and AJ Dillon with Jonathon Brooks on injured reserve.
Following the Panthers' Week 5 bye, left tackle Ikem Ekwonu (PUP/patellar tendon), right tackle Taylor Moton (non-football injury/blood clot), defensive end Tershawn Wharton (PUP/neck), running back Trevor Etienne (IR/ankle), guard Brady Christensen (IR/hamstring) and linebacker Bam Martin-Scott (IR/hamstring) will be eligible to return to action.