New Panthers cornerback explains why he signed with Carolina over other interested teams

Dane Jackson says he had interest from other teams in free agency. But the former Buffalo Bills cornerback acknowledged Wednesday that his decision to join the Carolina Panthers was primarily due to a familiar face.

Panthers general manager Dan Morgan was set on picking Jackson in the 2020 NFL Draft when Morgan was Buffalo’s director of player personnel. His belief in Jackson led the Bills to select the prospect as the 239th overall pick in the seventh round.

Four years later, again it was Morgan’s belief in Jackson that led the veteran cornerback to Carolina.

“First of all, he’s been a great influence on my career,” Jackson said about Morgan. “I would like to thank him for a lot — just for giving me a chance. He was a big advocate for me when he was in Buffalo, just getting me on the team and trusting me.

“And the same thing when I got here (in Carolina). During the (free agency) process, just talking with my agent — him and my agent were talking back and forth — and just how much he believed in me. And so I’ve got to tip my hat off to him and give him a lot of thanks for that.”

Always the (under)dog

Jackson, 27, had to work his way up the depth chart in Buffalo as a late-round pick. After standing out on special teams, Jackson eventually cracked the starting lineup for the perennial AFC contenders.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound defensive back ultimately started 28 of 52 games for the Bills over four seasons. He produced 152 tackles, 28 pass breakups, three interceptions and two forced fumbles during that span.

The University of Pittsburgh alum received uneven playing time last season in Buffalo, but overall, he proved to be a success story as a seventh-round pick.

In March, he signed a two-year, $8.5 million deal with the Panthers.

“Throughout the process, there were a few other teams that were interested,” Jackson said. “But just (Morgan’s) passion for the way I play the game, our previous ties in Buffalo, just that comfortable aspect that I felt from him — and that my agent was feeding me from him — it was like a no-brainer.”

Morgan, during his introductory press conference in January, said he wanted “dawgs” on his team. Jackson would argue he’s been an underdog his entire career.

“Climbing up the ladder, getting it the hard way,” Jackson said. “So, I feel like just being myself, that’s going to take me a long way. (Morgan) is saying that for a reason, so as long as I can keep showcasing that (mentality), we’ll be good.”

‘Story of my life’

The Caraopolis, Pa. native is expected to compete for a starting role in the secondary this offseason.

While the Panthers could still take a cornerback early in next week’s draft, Jackson will look to put up a fight to find a role within the defense opposite Jaycee Horn.

“For me, that’s just the story of my life,” Jackson said. “It’s just been like that pretty much my whole career. It’s kind of second nature at this point, where I just understand that everything is earned. ... I’m just trying to earn my keep and be a good teammate.”

Jackson has plenty of experience moving around the secondary and finding ways to be useful on special teams. As he enters a new environment, he’s trying to take advantage of his time during the early days of the offseason program in Charlotte.

“During this time, during this process, during OTAs — it’s kind of where you get introduced to a lot of new things,” Jackson said. “Just exploring the city — obviously, the No. 1 reason I’m here is to play ball — so just learning the defense, learning the terminology, learning everything that they do here and applying it to my game.”