Tag: Dane Jackson

Panthers CB Dane Jackson talks about Dan Morgan’s influence on his career

Panthers CB Dane Jackson thanked GM Dan Morgan for the influence he’s had on his NFL career.

Dan Morgan pounded the table for Dane Jackson well before he took over atop the Carolina Panthers’ front office. And apparently, he still is.

The 27-year-old cornerback, who signed on with the Panthers last month, spoke with reporters on Wednesday. He was asked about Morgan, who played a major part in getting Jackson into the NFL.

“He’s been a great influence in my career,” he said. “I would like to thank him for a lot, just for giving me a chance. He was a big advocate, coming out for me when he was in Buffalo and just getting me on the team and believing and trusting in me. And same thing when I got here—during the process, when him and my agent were talking back and forth, it was just how much he believed in me. So I gotta tip my hat off to him and give him a lot of thanks for that.”

Morgan, now the president of football operations and general manager for Carolina, had previously served as the director of player personnel for the Buffalo Bills from 2018 to 2020. During the draft in that final season, Morgan pushed for the Bills to select Jackson—who was ultimately taken in the seventh round.

But Jackson wasn’t exactly sure why Morgan and the Bills took him at the time. He was asked if there were any pre-draft hints of the organization looking his way.

“I don’t recall any conversation,” he replied. “I didn’t really talk to Buffalo during the draft process, so I honestly had no idea I was gonna go there. But once I got there, that’s when I learned how much he was advocating for me and how much he believed in me.”

As we head into this year’s draft, Jackson is currently projected as the team’s second starter at the cornerback position.

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Is Dane Jackson the favorite to be Panthers’ CB2 in 2024?

The Athletic’s Joe Person believes the Panthers will give free-agent signee Dane Jackson a chance to win the CB2 job this season.

When it comes to who will start opposite of Jaycee Horn in the Carolina Panthers secondary this season, the answer may already be on the roster.

All things considered, president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan set his Panthers up quite nicely during the transition from free agency to the 2024 draft. The front office filled a handful of pressing needs—signing guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis, trading for former Pro Bowl wideout Diontae Johnson and convincing pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney to come home—in allowing them to pick the best players available later this month.

But what about the cornerback position? Not only did Carolina ship off a longtime starter in Donte Jackson, but they also added just one player to the mix—Dane Jackson.

But according to Joe Person of The Athletic, Jackson may be all the Panthers need to fill the CB2 spot. In his latest seven-round mock draft, Person notes that the team will give the free-agent signee “a chance to win” the starting spot.

That may not be a shock considering Morgan’s history with Jackson, whom he “pounded the table for” a few years back. While serving as the director of player personnel for the Buffalo Bills, Morgan pushed for the selection of the Pittsburgh corner in the seventh round of the 2020 draft.

Since then, Jackson has recorded 28 starts over his 52 NFL outings.

Other than Jackson, the current depth chart has a handful of more inexperienced options for the outside. Discounting Troy Hill—who will man the nickel—the Panthers could look to D’Shawn Jamison, Dicaprio Bootle and Lamar Jackson.

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Panthers projected defensive depth chart heading into April

The Panthers defense looks quite different than it did compared to this time last offseason.

While the Carolina Panthers could have another move or two up their sleeve, (we’re looking at you, Stephon Gilmore), the major waves of free agency have crashed.

The hectic tides brought a ton of change for the team, especially on defense. Linebackers Brian Burns, Frankie Luvu and Yetur Gross-Matos, cornerback Donte Jackson and safeties Jeremy Chinn and Vonn Bell were amongst the many names that have now washed away.

But those waters also turned up some new and exciting ones.

So, as we head out of March and further towards the 2024 NFL draft, here is our projected defensive depth chart for the Panthers:

1st 2nd 3rd 4th
DE Derrick Brown LaBryan Ray
DT Shy Tuttle Nick Thurman
DE A’Shawn Robinson Raequan Williams
OLB Jadeveon Clowney K’Lavon Chaisson Amaré Barno Luiji Vilain
LB Shaq Thompson Chandler Wooten Claudin Cherelus
LB Josey Jewell Tae Davis
OLB D.J. Wonnum DJ Johnson
CB Jaycee Horn D’Shawn Jamison Lamar Jackson
CB Dane Jackson Dicaprio Bootle
SS Xavier Woods Jammie Robinson Sam Franklin Jr.
FS Jordan Fuller Nick Scott Alex Cook
NCB Troy Hill AJ Parker

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Panthers officially announce 5 free-agent signings

The Panthers made their reported free-agent agreements officials ones at the start of the new league year.

Happy New Year, Carolina Panthers fans!

With the start of the new league year came the official announcement of the team’s five newest free-agent signees. So, yes, those terms are no longer reportedly agreed upon—they’re definitely agreed upon.

Set to join the Panthers are guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis, defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson, linebacker Josey Jewell and cornerback Dane Jackson.

Hunt and Lewis were the first two names to surface for Carolina, who were seeking to fortify their interior offensive trench for quarterback Bryce Young. And they did, with the duo expected to sign multi-year deals (Hunt for five and Lewis for four) at a combined $153 million.

Robinson will help solidify the opposite trench. The 6-foot-4, 330-pounder is expected to ink a three-year, $22.5 million pact.

Jewell could serve as the replacement for the departed do-it-all backer Frankie Luvu. He spent a season under Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, who served in the same role for the Denver Broncos in 2022.

Jackson, who has ties to president of football operations/general manager Dan Morgan, comes over from the Buffalo Bills.

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Chargers pegged as potential landing spot for two cornerbacks

The Chargers need to shore up the cornerback room this offseason.

The Chargers will be in the market for cornerbacks. Michael Davis is set to be a free agent and the positional group could benefit from additional depth for defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.

Pro Football Focus suggests Bills’ Dane Jackson and Falcons’ Jeff Okudah as two options.

Here is what PFF said about Jackson:

The Chargers in this scenario add a young cornerback who was quickly trusted to log snaps in Sean McDermott’s defense. Jackson is a bit light but has good stop-and-start ability, closing well from off coverage.

Across four seasons, Jackson has appeared in 52 games with 28 starts. He posted 152 tackles, 28 passes defended and three interceptions.

For being a former seventh-round pick, Jackson has had a solid career.

As for Okudah, he was a first-round pick by the Lions in the 2020 NFL draft. But he was plagued by injuries and underwhelming play and was eventually traded to the Falcons last year.

Okudah’s play in coverage is hit or miss, but he is great against the run, which the Chargers could use on the back end.

Projecting market value for Bills pending free agents

Projecting market value for #Bills pending free agents:

The Buffalo Bills have several important players who are on the cusp of leaving via free agency. General manager Brandon Beane has some difficult decisions to make, as he needs to balance a challenging salary cap situation. At this time, Spotrac highlights the Bills are still $41 million over the cap.

The Bills still have some time to ink these players to extensions. However, several of these players are on the verge of a big payday.

The legal tampering period begins on March 11. Once this date hits, it’s a good chance that these players will be finding new homes for the 2024 season.

Here is a look at the projected market value for the Bills top pending free agents based off Spotrac’s projections:

Full list of Bills players who will be free agents this offseason

Who will stay and who will go?

As another season of Buffalo Bills football has come to an end, so have another series of contracts that have been signed.

Whether it be grizzled veterans or players seeing the end of their rookie contracts, there are plenty of faces who will not long be under contract in Buffalo in March when free agency opens.

The Bills have plenty of time until then to sign players to extensions, but it’s never so cut-and-dry. According to Over The Cap, Buffalo is estimated to be $49 million over the 2024 NFL salary cap.

Moves must be made and general manager Brandon Beane will earn his own salary with the decisions ahead.

But what you’re here for: The full list of Bills free agents following the 2023 season is below:

Bills snap counts: Depth chart breakdown vs. Dolphins

Injuries made the #Bills defensive snaps interesting:

The Buffalo Bills got after it against the Miami Dolphins and ended up taking a close win, 21-14, on Sunday evening in Week 18.

But who exactly were the ones on the field for the Bills (11-6) doing all the dirty work against the Dolphins (11-6)?

More often than not, taking a look in between the lines at snap count totals for Buffalo’s players can give us some insight as to what went down in between the lines on the gridiron.

There is always plenty to discover when looking at these finer details.

With that, here’s how the Bills depth chart broke down via snap counts in their latest win against the Dolphins:

Bills snap counts: Depth chart breakdown vs. Chiefs

Interesting snap counts to be found in all three phases against KC:

The Buffalo Bills got after it against the Kansas City Chiefs and ended up taking a dramatic win, 20-17, Sunday afternoon in Week 14.

But who exactly were the ones on the field for the Bills (7-6) doing all the dirty work against the Chiefs (8-5)?

More often than not, taking a look in between the lines at snap count totals for Buffalo’s players can give us some insight as to what went down in between the lines on the gridiron.

There is always plenty to discover when looking at these finer details.

With that, here’s how the Bills depth chart broke down via snap counts in their latest win against the Chiefs: