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By Anne Erickson
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The Carolina Panthers are one of those teams that could go either way next season. They could improve on their 8-9 record, which was already good for the NFC South, or they could go the other direction.
One bright spot is an unassuming player that could have a big year.
Zachary Pereles of CBS Sports is highlighting his absolute favorite under-the-radar breakout stars for 2026.
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"The offseason and preseason do provide plenty of opportunities for individuals to make their jumps from relative unknowns -- at least to casual fans -- to standouts," he says.
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For the Panthers, he likes cornerback Mike Jackson. What's not to love about this promising player?
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"Out of all of the pleasant surprises in the Panthers' surprising NFC South title-winning season, Mike Jackson was arguably the biggest," he states of the player. "The veteran cornerback nabbed four regular-season interceptions (he had three in his entire career entering the year) and also picked off Matthew Stafford in the playoffs."
He adds: "Jackson's 19 passes defended were tied for the league lead, and his 55.4 passer rating against as the primary defender ranked 14th out of 134 players who were the primary defender on at least 50 passes."
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With numbers like those, it makes sense that Jackson could really have a breakout year. Pereles calls him a "late-blooming standout" and that's certainly the case.
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