The Carolina Panthers defense has had a pretty rough 2024 season – but it hasn’t been all bad, all the time by any means. Last week’s humiliating blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was the worst they’ve been all year, but in their defense they were missing key pieces at all three levels of their defense. Truthfully, this unit has been significantly better this year since outside linebacker DJ Wonnum joined the lineup around midseason.
In seven games with the Panthers, Wonnum has put up four sacks, six quarterback hits, four tackles for a loss and 11 pressures. That’s helped unlock other Carolina pass rushers, especially Jadeveon Clowney. The edge rotation is on the rise, but the brightest star for this group is cornerback Jaycee Horn, who’s finally managed to stay healthy most of this season for the first time in his career and is getting rewarded with a trip to the Pro Bowl.
Wonnum is of course intimately familiar with Horn’s game, having played with him at South Carolina before coming to the NFL. Here’s how Wonnum reacted to Horn’s first Pro Bowl nod.
DJ Wonnum on Jaycee Horn to Pro Bowl
Looking ahead, Horn should be in line for a lucrative contract extension this offseason. The top-five cornerbacks around the league are all making $20 million or more per year – and that’s about the range that Horn should expect to get paid.
While that’s a big investment for any non-quarterback, Horn should be well worth it. Cornerback is a critical position in the modern game and this season we’ve seen that when he stays healthy he can play at a very, very high level. Heading into Week 18 only one NFL corner has allowed a lower catch rate.
