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David Newton, ESPN Staff Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers, in need of cornerback help with starter Dane Jackson expected to begin the season on injured reserve with a severe hamstring injury, traded for one with starting experience on Thursday.
The Panthers sent rookie inside linebacker Michael Barrett, who was in danger of not making the 53-man roster, to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for veteran corner Michael Jackson.
Carolina was interested in signing veteran corner Stephon Gilmore, who reached a deal with the Minnesota Vikings earlier this week, but didn’t have the cap space to seriously compete for him.
Jackson, 27, started 17 games for the Seahawks in 2022 and four last season. First-year Carolina head coach Dave Canales was with the Seahawks in 2022.
Jackson joins a group that includes D’Shawn Jamison and Dicaprio Bootle in trying to fill the outside corner spot opposite Jaycee Horn. Jamison had one start last season as a rookie for Carolina and Bootle had three.
Both are considered better nickelbacks than outside corners.
Barrett, a seventh-round pick out of Michigan, was a long shot at best to make Carolina’s squad.
The trade addresses Seattle’s need for depth at inside linebacker and reunites Barrett with Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald, who was Michigan’s defensive coordinator in 2021. The 24-year-old Barrett spent six seasons at Michigan, recording 12 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and two interceptions over his final four. He was a captain on last year’s national championship-winning team.
“It’s a team decision to bring him in. Guys in Carolina spoke highly of him. Mike was very productive at Michigan, obviously, so we had a chance to eval him coming out … Just excited to have him in here. He’s got a great opportunity to come compete and earn himself a spot here for hopefully a while,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said Thursday.
The Seahawks signed Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson to one-year deals in March to start at inside linebacker. Both missed the offseason workout program with injuries from last season, and Baker has again been sidelined for almost three weeks after tweaking his hamstring. That has pressed rookie fourth-round pick Tyrice Knight into action with the No. 1 defense.
Barrett did not practice Thursday. Macdonald said it’s not out of the question that he could play in Seattle’s preseason finale on Saturday against the Cleveland Browns.
Jackson, known for his physicality, was part of the Seahawks’ surplus of quality cornerbacks. A starter for Seattle in 2022, he was mostly a backup last season behind Pro Bowlers Riq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon. He’d also been playing behind Tre Brown, and with Artie Burns having a strong camp, it was unclear where Jackson would fit into the mix.
A fifth-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys out of Miami in 2019, Jackson has also spent time with the Detroit Lions and New England Patriots.
ESPN’s Brady Henderson contributed to this report.
Source: www.espn.com