Surgery For Panthers’ Jaycee Horn?
The Panthers could be without Jaycee Horn for a while. The early word is that the cornerback has multiple broken bones in his foot, which would require surgery and two to three months of recovery (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).
Horn broke three bones in his foot, Matt Rhule said Friday, and the rookie and his family will determine his plans from here. Surgery is certainly on the table. It could well mean Horn’s initial NFL season will end after three games. 
[RELATED: Panthers’ CMC Suffers Hamstring Injury]
A late-season return represents Horn’s best-case scenario. Horn went down on a non-contact play Thursday night and had to be carted off. He was unable to put weight on his leg, an immediate sign of something serious. Meanwhile, the Panthers also saw star running back Christian McCaffrey and safety Juston Burris exit early.
Horn, the first cornerback drafted this year, finished his Ohio State run with two interceptions and six passes defended in just seven games. Through his first two pro games, the No. 8 overall pick has three tackles and one interception to his credit.
He’ll likely land on the injured reserve list, elevating veteran Rashaan Melvin to a larger role. Carolina, however, is likely to have A.J. Bouye in action soon. After missing two games due to a PED suspension, Bouye missed Thursday’s game with an undisclosed injury. Rhule expects Bouye to be ready for Week 4, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets.
Panthers CB Jaycee Horn Suffers Broken Foot
The injuries are starting to pile up for the Panthers. After Christian McCaffrey left Thursday’s game, we learned that first-round cornerback Jaycee Horn suffered a significant injury. The rookie suffered a broken foot during tonight’s game against the Texans, reports ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (via Twitter).
[RELATED: Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey Exits Game With Injury]
Horn went down on a non-contact play and had to be carted off the field during the first possession of the second half. Per Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com, the cornerback couldn’t put weight on his leg. This is a tough break for a Panthers team that also lost safety Juston Burris during tonight’s game. There’s no definitive timetable on Horn’s return, but a trip to the IR seems likely.
Horn was on the draft radar ever since his solid 2018 showing. By 2020, he solidified his status as an elite prospect. In his final year with the Buckeyes, Horn nabbed a pair interceptions and notched six passes defended in just seven games (Horn sat out the final stretch of the year after the departure of head coach Will Muschamp). Thanks to his performance, Horn was the first cornerback off the board in this year’s draft, going eighth overall to the Panthers. Through his first two NFL games, Horn had collected three tackles and one interception.
With Horn out of the picture, Rashaan Melvin will likely see an uptick in reps.
Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey Exits Game With Injury
Christian McCaffrey is out for the rest of tonight’s game against the Texans. The running back left the game during the second quarter of tonight’s contest and will not return, according to the broadcast (and passed along by ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter).
The star running back is dealing with a hamstring injury, according to the team. McCaffrey bounced on and off the field for much of the first quarter-plus, and he remained in the medical tent for some time after exiting during the second quarter.
Following a historic 2019 campaign where McCaffrey finished with 2,392 yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns, the running back was limited to only three games in 2020 after suffering a shoulder injury. He looked fully recovered through the first two weeks of the 2021 season, collecting 324 yards from scrimmage on 59 carries. The 25-year-old had another 40 all-purpose yards on nine touches before leaving tonight’s game.
McCaffrey‘s absence may end up being inconsequential during Thursday’s game against the lowly Texans. However, it will be tough for the surprising Panthers to overcome a long-term McCaffrey absence. Chuba Hubbard is next in line for carries, but the rookie fourth-round pick has only seen time in 26 offensive snaps through two weeks. The team is also rostering Royce Freeman on the active roster, and they could turn to practice squad backs Rodney Smith or Spencer Brown.
Panthers Place G Pat Elflein On IR
Carolina will be without one of its offensive line starters for a bit. The Panthers are placing left guard Pat Elflein on IR, Jonathan Alexander of the Charlotte Observer notes. The team has since announced the move.
A hamstring injury forced Elflein out of Sunday’s win over the Saints during the first half. Matt Rhule had already ruled Elflein out of Thursday’s game against the Texans, but the veteran interior lineman will now have more time to recover. He will miss at least Carolina’s next three games — against Houston, Dallas and Philadelphia.
Dennis Daley replaced Elflein in Carolina’s lineup Sunday and will be in line to start Thursday. Daley started at right guard to open the season but returned to the bench initially in Week 2, with John Miller back at his post. A 2019 sixth-round pick, Daley made nine starts as a rookie and three last season.
Elflein, 27, is no stranger to injury trouble. A knee issue in Week 1 of the 2020 season led to the Vikings placing him on IR. They eventually waived their former starting center and guard, and the Jets claimed him. The Panthers signed Elflein to a three-year, $13.5MM deal in March.
Panthers Elevate CB Rashaan Melvin
Rashaan Melvin now has an opportunity to play in a game for the first time since the 2019 season. The Panthers made the veteran cornerback one of their Saturday elevations, with center Sam Tecklenburg the other.
The Panthers making Melvin one of their game-day actives would make the 31-year-old defender a six-team veteran. Melvin has already played for the Ravens, Patriots, Colts, Raiders and Lions. Melvin was on track to play for the Jaguars last season, but he opted out. Having brought in a new regime, the Jags cut him earlier this year.
A 12-game starter the last time he was with a team — the Lions in 2019 — Melvin has 40 career starts under his belt. The Panthers signed him in March but did not carry him over to their 53-man roster after cutdown day. Carolina cut Melvin from its practice squad earlier this month but brought him back this week.
Melvin would be in line to serve as a depth piece behind the likes of Donte Jackson and Jaycee Horn. Melvin’s bump could be a one-game situation, with A.J. Bouye‘s six-game suspension — which began during his final weeks as a Bronco — ending after Week 2. With Melvin being a Saturday elevation and not a full-on promotion, he can be passed through back to Carolina’s practice squad Monday.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/14/21
Today’s practice squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Released: K Elliott Fry, WR Juwan Green, TE David Wells
Carolina Panthers
- Released: OL Mike Hortond
Dallas Cowboysmia
- Signed: WR Robert Foster, K Lirim Hajrullahu
- Placed on IR: CB Deante Burton, S Darian Thompson
Denver Broncos
- Signed: CB Rojesterman Farris, WR Rico Gafford
Houston Texans
- Signed: DB Grayland Arnold
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: OL Anthony Coyle
- Released: S Sean Davis
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: LB Omari Cobb
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: CB Jamal Perry
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: T Caleb Benenoch, WR Kenny Stills (story)
- Released: DT Jaleel Johnson
New York Jets
- Signed: LB Noah Dawkins, OL Elijah Nkansah
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: C Harry Crider
- Placed on IR: OT Le’Raven Clark
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: LB Curtis Bolton, RB Kerryon Johnson (story)
- Released: WR Isaiah Zuber
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: TE Austin Fort, TE Tommy Hudson
Panthers Cut K Ryan Santoso, Sign K Zane Gonzalez
The Panthers have made their decision. Carolina is cutting kicker Ryan Santoso after just one game, a source told Joe Person of The Athletic (Twitter link). The team then announced they would be signing kicker Zane Gonzalez off the Lions’ practice squad to replace him.
It was a move that was time sensitive because of the Panthers’ trade for Santoso a few weeks ago. Carolina agreed to acquire Santoso from the Giants, and the deal stipulated that they’d send a seventh-round pick to New York if Santoso was on the active roster for two games. Essentially, they had a one week free trial on the kicker, and decided he wasn’t worth the late-round pick.
Santoso made both of his field goal attempts in the team’s Week 1 win over the Jets, but he did miss one of his two extra point attempts. The Panthers cut Joey Slye at final cuts, and they also have Dominik Eberle on the practice squad. Gonzalez was the Browns’ kicker in all 16 games in 2017, and he spent most of the past two seasons as the Cardinals’ full-time kicker. Because he was signed off another team’s practice squad, Carolina will need to keep him on the active roster for at least three weeks.
The Giants will now get nothing in return for the man they had behind Graham Gano during the preseason. Teams apparently thought highly enough of Santoso, who has spent some time in the CFL, to warrant a trade for him, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he gets another shot with somebody soon.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/13/21
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed to active roster: WR Alex Erickson
- Placed on IR: S Myles Hartsfield
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on IR: WR Michael Gallup (story)
- Activated from Reserve/COVID list: OT Brandon Knight, G Zack Martin
- Placed on Reserve/COVID list: DE Randy Gregory
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted: RB Trey Ragas
New Orleans Saints
- Re-signed: DL Montravius Adams
- Waived: DB Jordan Miller
- Activated: DB CB Bradley Roby
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released: DT T.Y. McGill
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Placed on IR: DB Sean Murphy-Bunting (story), LS Zach Triner
- Promoted: S Andrew Adams
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted: DB Bradley McDougald, TE MyCole Pruitt
- Waived: K Michael Badgley, TE Tommy Hudson
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/13/21
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Corn Elder, S Jalen Julius, CB Rashaan Melvin
- Released: WR Omar Bayless
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: WR Robert Foster , K Lirim Hajrullahu
- Placed on IR: CB Deante Burton, S Darian Thompson
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: WR Maurice Ffrench
Miami Dolphins
- Released: FB Carl Tucker
New Orleans Saints
- Reverted to practice squad: K Aldrick Rosas, S Jeff Heath
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Chris Cooper
Washington Football Team
- Signed: QB Kyle Shurmur
Shurmur will give WFT another option as Ryan Fitzpatrick recovers from his hip injury. For now, this likely means that Taylor Heinicke will serve as their starter. Heinicke stepped in for Fitz against the Chargers on Sunday, completing 11-for-15 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown.
Matthew Stafford Nixed Trade To Panthers
Shortly after the Rams acquired quarterback Matthew Stafford via trade from the Lions, Stafford admitted that there were teams he did not want to play for. We recently heard that one of those teams was the Panthers, but we did not know how close Detroit and Carolina came to a deal.
As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports, many believed that the Panthers — who were aggressive in their pursuit and who offered their first-round pick (No. 8 overall), a fifth-rounder, and Teddy Bridgewater — would be the ones to land Stafford. Indeed, the deal was reportedly just about done. But when Stafford learned of his would-be new home, he consulted with his family and told Lions brass that he did not want to go to Carolina.
Though the No. 1 overall pick of the 2009 draft did not have a no-trade clause, the Lions heeded his wishes. The 49ers and Colts were also said to be on Stafford’s list of approved destinations, but Rapoport hears that he would have tried to veto any trade that would have sent him anywhere other than the Rams. If Los Angeles’ offer did not compare with those of other suitors, Detroit probably would not have been able to accommodate the former face of its franchise, but ultimately the Rams ponied up two future first-rounders, a third-rounder, and Jared Goff, which the Lions determined was a good enough return.
By all accounts, Stafford had a terrific training camp, and his first season with his new team kicks off tonight against the Bears (who also pursued a trade for their longtime division rival).