To be fair, losing both of your starting cornerbacks at the same time—especially ones who are as good as Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson—is a pretty rough development to deal with. But the Carolina Panthers' response to that setback has left a bit to be desired.
While 2026 fourth-round pick Will Lee III has held his own as at one of the spots, fifth-year veteran Akayleb Evans has struggled mightily at the other—immediately becoming a target for opposing offenses. He was charged with allowing 11 catches for 197 yards and a touchdown in his first start, then proved to be a major liability in both coverage and run defense in his third.
Now, through his three outings as a starter, Evans has given up 16 receptions over 22 attempts (72.7 percent) for 250
yards and two scores. Although he's very much valued as a contributor on special teams, it's clear that Carolina can't go much longer with him in their secondary.
On Monday, head coach Dave Canales alluded to some uncertainty for Evans this week—as he may not be able to suit up on the short turnaround in Green Bay due to a triceps injury. Canales also noted that the team does have "options" if that is the case.
So, what are these options as Horn and Jackson work their way back?
Let's take a look at the other cornerbacks in the locker room . . .
Chau Smith-Wade
Smith-Wade may seem like the most obvious name to look to here. The 2024 fifth-round pick has notched 1,017 defensive snaps over his three-year NFL career, so the Panthers haven't been totally afraid to run him out.
But only 59 of those snaps have come on the outside. At 5-foot-11 and 176 pounds, Smith-Wade is viewed more as a presence in the slot—where he's recorded 643 looks.
We'd have to go back to his time at Washington State for a larger sample size from the boundary. Smith-Wade was primarily an outside guy, and a pretty solid one, for the Cougars—taking 1,360 of his 1,537 snaps as a straight-up corner.
Corey Thornton
Panthers fans have also been itching to see a little more of Thornton, who has experienced a swift fall in the pecking order since his impressive showing as a rookie in 2025.
Thornton, at one point last season, took the starting duties at the slot from Smith-Wade. But a broken fibula he sustained in Week 12 cut his campaign short.
Since then, the undrafted gem has lost his luster. He wasn't great in preseason play this past summer, did not make the initial 53-man roster and has been stuck as an inactive on the practice squad through the first six games.
When asked about Thornton at the start of Week 8, Canales simply lauded the 25-year-old for "busting his butt," and did not seem committed to declaring him as a viable option.
Robert Rochell
A former fourth-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams, Rochell already had some history with defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and defensive passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley prior to his stint in Carolina. Plus, he's been trusted enough to earn back-to-back elevations from the practice squad over the last two weeks.
But Rochell's last regular-season action on defense, let alone as an outside corner, came back in 2024. Even though he lined up on the boundary for Rams 214 times in 2021, he's only notched 30 snaps from the outside since.
Marco Wilson
Compared to the rest of the healthy options at the position, Wilson has—by far—the most experience on the boundary. The former fourth-round pick has started in 37 of his 64 career games, with 2,177 snaps as an outside corner.
Wilson was signed to the practice squad three weeks ago, and has yet to be called up to the roster for a game day.
Other cornerbacks on the roster include undrafted rookies DeVonta Smith and Malcolm DeWalt IV as well as Zion Childress, who is in his second NFL campaign.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Breaking down the Panthers' options at CB amidst recent struggles
