CHARLOTTE — Sometimes a young player doesn't know what he doesn't know.

Will Lee III, on the other hand, is aware of what's in front of him. It just doesn't change the way he approaches his job.

The rookie cornerback knows he's about to be on an island more often, with Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson placed on injured reserve Wednesday morning and the Lions on the way here Sunday night.

But if there's anything that's stood out about the fourth-round pick from Texas A&M, it's that he has a tendency not to blink.

"Yeah, I mean, from Day 1 you could see his confidence," linebacker Devin Lloyd said. "You could feel his swagger on the field.

"So he doesn't lack confidence at all."

He needs it, and so do they, now more than ever.

There's no good way to spin the absence of one of the league's top cornerback duos three weeks into the season. And Lee knows that, but said he was ready for what came next.

"Confidence-wise, I'm always going to say I'm ready," Lee said. "That first game when we came out against the Bears, just rookie mistakes, getting that little stuff out of the way.

"But after taking those steps forward and just progressing every week, that's my goal. So I'm just going to go out there and do the best I can every week."​

While Lee understands he hasn't played perfectly — no corner does, not even Horn — he hasn't played poorly.

In three games, he has four pass breakups and a fumble recovery, while playing 60 percent of the defensive snaps. That last number is going up with Horn and Jackson out, and with that will come more targets.

And with that, he'll think back to one of the first things Horn taught him, beyond the seatbelt celebration that he's copied and will now serve as homage.

"Really just having the confidence in yourself," Lee said, of the lessons Horn taught him. "Like we play one of the hardest positions on the field, and he basically tells me people are going to catch the ball, so just have that confidence in yourself and just having that next-play mentality.

"Really, all the stuff they taught me in the summer, just leaning on the stuff they taught me, the techniques and just what to see and the reads and the keys, just trusting in the technique that they brought upon me. So just having that blessing of them to keep me moving forward in that aspect."

Lee's earned that blessing, and they're leaning into the collective need in this situation. That's why Lloyd acknowledged that this situation wasn't ideal, but the only way through it was for all the players to keep leaning on each other, a process that begins on the grass of the practice field Wednesday afternoon.

"Just trust. Believe in who we have," Lloyd said. "Everybody on this team is here for a reason, and so just trust and believe in your brother, and ultimately it's never a one-man job. It's all 11 on the field playing together, and that's our mentality.

"For sure, communication is a big thing, just making sure obviously we're on the same page, instilling belief and confidence in them, and then when it's all said and done, going out and executing. I think we've got to be really critical of ourselves during the week in practice, just making sure that the looks that we do see and the looks that we practice, that we've got to nail those. And then obviously in-game looks that we don't see.  We've got to just play our keys, but everything that we do see in practice has got to translate to the game."

And no, Lee cannot replace veterans like Horn and Jackson, but he's already stood out to the veterans on this team, and they're depending on him now as much as he'll depend on them.

"Yeah, I mean, long, talented, can make all the plays," Lloyd said of the rookie cornerback. "I mean, really, more physical, you know, obviously slimmer frame, but still really physical.

"I mean, I just love the person that he is. Just really humble, humble guy, just a great teammate, and so I love whenever guys like that go out and have success, and I mean, yeah, he's still a rookie and you know I'm sure he wants to have some plays back and whatnot, but just a guy that he's got a bright future ahead of him."

Horn and Jackson have each said that as well through the summer and early part of the season, knowing Lee was fitting in well. His ability to play the perimeter also allowed them to move Horn around in the defense, a significant part they've lost with Wednesday's news.

But Lee remains, with the lessons Horn and Jackson have taught him. They're now his to execute and build from. The memory of the dropped interception last week is still fresh in his mind, but with a big job in front of him, he knows he has to keep his focus on the immediate.

"Each game, you just move forward, and you just try to take the little pieces and the little details from each and every game and just apply them so you can keep growing," Lee said. "In that aspect, I think it's slowing down a little bit, yeah.

"We had this convo in practice, (Horn) was saying people are going to catch a ball on you; you've got to live with that. And my whole mentality, I don't want nobody catching on me, and he's like, that's not realistic in this game. Sometimes they just don't catch a ball, but like, that's why I hold myself to. I don't want nobody catching nothing on me, even if it's a short pass, deep pass, anything. I don't want nothing, but you know I'm trying to still get that mentality out of me so I can just be more confident in my play and just trust my techniques."

He's confident that he can. He needs to be, starting today.