Panthers May Consider Shutting Down Injured CB Donte Jackson

This would be a huge hit to the secondary, but may not be a bad move

It's been a rough season for the Carolina Panthers secondary in a variety of ways. Whether it be injuries, guys going on the COVID list, or just playing through growing pains, it's been a bit wobbly through the first ten games of the season.

One reason why the Panthers have struggled defending the pass is due to starting cornerback Donte Jackson repeatedly having to remove himself from games due to a lingering toe injury. His stats are a bit misleading as he has just 18 tackles, six pass breakups, and three interceptions in ten games. A player of his caliber would likely have anywhere between 40-50 tackles at this point in the season, but he's only played over 60 defensive snaps three times and has played less than 40 snaps five times. 

On Monday, Panthers head coach Matt Rhule was asked if there have been any discussions about possibly shutting Jackson down or letting him sit and rest for a couple of weeks.

"I feel for Donte, it's been a tough cycle for him," Rhule said. "He practices during the week and we limit him in practice. But last week, I mean, he practiced pretty much in full go. Unfortunately, he gets to the game and re-aggravates it so I think we would explore all things moving forward for him. He certainly cares and he tries to get out there and play and I respect that about him."

When a player has to constantly remove himself from the game week after week, it's probably a sign to go ahead and get him out of there and get him on the road to recovery. As Rhule stated, you have to admire the toughness out of Jackson to fight through it, but when the team is clearly out of the playoff picture at 3-7, it's okay to focus on getting him healthy for the 2021 season.

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