Jaycee Horn is Done Talking About Injuries: 'I'm 100%'
Jaycee Horn hasn't quite earned the "injury-prone" tag just yet, but he's on the brink of it.
He played in just three games as a rookie before going down for the season with a foot injury. At the end of last season, Horn broke his wrist and was forced to miss an important divisional game against Tampa Bay in Week 17. Fast-forward to this spring, and once again, Horn went down with a left foot and ankle injury that landed him in a walking boot.
Tuesday morning, Horn spoke with reporters and made it clear that it's a thing of the past.
"I don't want to talk about the injury. What matters is I'm here. I'm 100%. I'm ready to go. I'm just focused on getting ready for the season."
There is, however, some level of concern with how much of the defense Horn is comfortable with at this stage given that he missed time back in the spring. The mental reps help, but there's nothing that comes close to matching the on-field reps.
"With a new staff, a new system, I was still able to watch the DBs out there run around and still get better even though I was sidelined during the time. I'm definitely ready to pick it back up.
"I was out there for the first part of OTAs and got some on-field work. Right before I went down, I was actually starting to get real comfortable in the system. And we got a good two and a half, three weeks here so I'm sure I'll pick right back up where I left off and be ready when Week 1 come."
In order for the Panthers to truly make a push at the NFC South this fall, they must have Horn on the field. And Donte Jackson too. These two have dealt with their fair share of injuries in their career and when they're unavailable, the back end of the defense becomes vulnerable.
"I think I could do some stuff off the field better like diet-wise," said Horn. "Even if I felt like I was taking care of my body before, I'll do it more just to try and be available the whole season. Seeing how much it hurt us last year going out at a crucial time and I understand what's at stake this year and I want to take every measure to make sure I'm out there on Sundays."
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