Panthers Reunite Promising Defender With GM Dan Morgan in Free Agency

The Panthers made a small signing to its secondary on Wednesday, adding former Bills cornerback Dane Jackson.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Buffalo Bills
Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Buffalo Bills / Cooper Neill/GettyImages
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The Carolina Panthers are completely revamping this secondary this offseason as they traded veteran cornerback Donte Jackson to the Pittsburgh Steelers, released veteran safety Vonn Bell, and saw veteran safety Jeremy Chinn sign a one-year contract with the Washington Commanders.

The Panthers haven’t addressed the safety position yet in free agency. But they’ve found a potential starting cornerback with ties to new general manager Dan Morgan.

Panthers News: Carolina Bolsters Secondary With Dane Jackson Signing

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Wednesday that Carolina signed former Buffalo Bills cornerback Dane Jackson to a two-year contract worth up to $14.5 million. Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer adds that Morgan was in Buffalo when the Bills drafted him in 2020.

The 27-year-old cornerback shockingly saw a decrease in playing time in 2023 (six starts and played 50 percent of snaps) after starting 14 games in 2022 and playing a career-high 82 percent of defensive snaps.

This past season, the 5-foot-11 cornerback had 39 combined tackles and five pass deflections. He also didn’t fare well in pass coverage, producing a 74.3 completion percentage allowed on targets and a 109.6 pass rating allowed when targeted but gave up one receiving touchdown.

The Panthers will hope that Jackson’s off-year in pass coverage last season is not a trend and that he can emerge as one of the starters in the secondary.

Carolina is sitting at +1000 to win the NFC South, so moves like this one are more to help build for the future by establishing a winning culture. Morgan is showing an eye for talent and with more moves like these, the Panthers could be competitive sooner than later.

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