Dane

Jackson

The Bills signed Jackson this offseason to compete for depth in the secondary but the veteran was unable to secure a roster spot. He spent the first four years of his carer with the Bills before spending one season in Carolina. It is likely he gets another crack at an NFL roster in short order, either through waivers or once he clears.

Jackson left the Bills last offseason when he signed a two-year contract with the Panthers. He was released after only one season in Carolina, and now returns to the Bills on a one-year deal. The 28-year-old corner struggled mightily in pass coverage last season, earning a PFF coverage grade of 36.4 while allowing opposing receivers to go for 19-204-3 against him on just 27 targets. Jackson is unlikely to be tasked with a starting role in 2025, but returning to a familiar defensive system could bode well for both sides here.

According to Over the Cap, the release of Jackson creates a cap savings of $3.35 million for the Panthers. Jackson signed a two-year contract with the Panthers last offseason but opened the season on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury he suffered in training camp. Jackson appeared in nine games last season while making three starts. He broke up two passes while earning a PFF coverage grade of 36.4. At 28 years old, Jackson should have plenty to offer another team as veteran depth. Jackson has started 31 of the 61 games he’s appeared in during his career and made 14 starts in 2022.

As expected, Johnson and Dalton will miss the game against the Broncos with their injuries. The Panthers do get starting defensive end A’Shawn Robinson, outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney and Josey Jewell back to help the Carolina defense for the Week 8 tilt.

Tuttle missed the past two weeks with the foot issue and was limited in practice throughout the week. He appears to be on the right side of questionable but will need to make it through pre-game warmups before being cleared for action. Cornerback Dane Jackson, who opened the year on injured reserve, is also questionable.

Reporters asked Canales about Panthers players who began the season on injury-related reserve lists, including Brooks, LB D.J. Wonnum, CB Dane Jackson and LB Amaré Barno. Canales responded, “We’re ramping them up... Some last couple of hurdles for them to clear before we feel like we can put them out there in practice. But they’re all really close.” Should Brooks return in Week 5, he would be roughly 10 months removed since undergoing ACL reconstruction.

According to Panthers beat writer David Newton, Jackson could be looking at a six-week absence. The Panthers signed Jackson to a two-year, $8.5 million contract earlier this offseason after he spent the first four years of his career with the Bills. The Panthers have already been exploring additional options at cornerback even when Jackson was healthy. This injury should only amplify their need to bring in a free agent or two to add to the secondary.

Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Jackson’s deal is worth “up to” $14.5 million. Jackson was a full-time player in 2022, logging 14 starts in his 15 appearances. He broke up 12 passes and stole two picks. His role took a hit in 2023 as he was credited with just six starts in the same number of games. Jackson only logged five pass breakups in 2023. The move to Carolina will ensure Jackson more playing time after the Panthers traded away cornerback Donte Jackson to acquire Diontae Johnson.

Micah Hyde, Cam Lewis, and Taron Johnson have all been cleared for action this week. The Bills avoided the worst-case scenario with all three defensive backs getting cleared but will still be shorthanded versus the Eagles as Taylor Rapp was also ruled out. Jackson suffered the concussion in Week 11 and will now eye a Week 13 return.

Jackson suffered a concussion in last week’s win over the Jets and has been placed into safety protocols along with fellow cornerback Taron Johnson. The Bills are already extremely thin in the secondary, so losing Jackson would be a big blow with a matchup against A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith coming this weekend. Fellow CB/S Cam Lewis was able to get a limited practice in on Wednesday, so it’s possible the Bills will have more than two healthy cornerbacks in Week 12.