Carolina Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson had been prepared for the Cleveland Browns. However, it all went the other way for him, and the CB will now miss some significant time due to injury. However, that wasn’t the only blow Cleveland landed on Jackson.
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“No, I lost. So, I got hurt in the game, lost my phone in the locker room, AND I left my wallet there. So, that s*** me going, I don’t never wanna go back to Cleveland,” Jackson told FOX Sports Radio1340’s Sheena Quick.
Luckily for him, his phone and wallet have been found, according to the team’s official website. They’re being shipped back to him.
Jackson has an obvious reason for taking a dislike to Huntington Bank Field: he was injured late in the first quarter of the game. He was trying to disrupt a pass intended for Browns WR Jerry Jeudy. Jackson went down awkwardly, injuring his groin. He had never had a serious injury before in his career.
Per ESPN reports, he underwent successful surgery on his groin on Tuesday. Jackson was placed on injured reserve ahead of the Detroit Lions matchup. Per The Charlotte Observer, he’d meticulously studied for the game by analyzing star wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown.
According to head coach Dave Canales, Jackson could be out for roughly eight weeks. However, the CB is on the mend, as he is already walking around after having surgery on Tuesday.
The timing is bad for the Panthers because Carolina is already without cornerback Jaycee Horn. He had also injured himself in the Browns game. Jackson amusedly recalled that somebody said they had to stop doing things together; losing the team’s starting CBs this early in the season is a big problem.
Jackson, a veteran CB, has tallied 150 total tackles, six interceptions, and one forced fumble. He had spent some time on practice rosters in his previous teams, but broke out in the 2022 season when he was with the Seattle Seahawks. Jackson had been playing well for the Panthers in the last two years.
Horn, also a veteran CB, has racked up 196 total tackles so far with the Panthers. These are two very big players the defense will be missing for the upcoming few weeks.
Carolina will have to count on backup defensive backs to face off against two of the Lions’ biggest weapons, wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, who combined for over 2,500 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns last season. The Panthers needed someone like Jackson, who has been a reliable weapon as he started 17 games in each of the past two seasons.
But even after having an unfortunate outing in Cleveland, Jackson is not losing hope.
“That’s tough. But at the same time, I know Will Lee III, AK (Akayleb Evans), Chau Smith-Wade, Corey Thornton, all the rest of them guys in the DB room; this is their time to shine,” said Jackson. “Corey is one of the first people I was talking to, and I’m like, ‘Bro, one man’s storm is another man’s sunset.’
“When you get your opp, you got to take advantage of it because that’s just how this league works. You’re supposed to go out there and ball, and then when I come back, we’ll all put it together, so it’d be cool.”
Rookie Will Lee is expected to take over for Jackson, and one of either Smith-Wade or Evans should line up on the other side. But the Panthers could still add help through free agency or a trade.