The Carolina Panthers put up 37 points in Week 1, but they’ve still decided to shake up their wide receiver room.
The news came out at about 4 p.m. on Tuesday, via ESPN’s Adam Schefter, that the Panthers are cutting loose the WR Jimmy Horn Jr.
Panthers waived wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 15, 2026
It doesn’t necessarily feel like the level of news that rises to being worthy of a Schefter tweet, but Horn is a somewhat notable player given his pedigree.
Who Is Jimmy Horn Jr?
Horn is a 5-foot-8 receiver who grew up in the state of Florida.
He began his college career in that state, too, at the University of South Florida. In his second season at USF, Horn had 37 catches for 551 yards and three touchdowns, and that earned him a transfer.
He chose to go play for the Colorado Buffaloes with Deion Sanders as part of a high-powered offense.
In his first year with Colorado, Horn caught 58 passes for 567 yards and six touchdowns.
And in year two, he had 37 grabs for 441 yards and a score.
Horn also returned kicks and punts in his college career. He had 393 kick return yards across 17 returns in his two seasons with Colorado.
That all added up to earning him a selection as the No. 208 overall pick (sixth round) in the 2025 NFL Draft by the Panthers.
Horn played in 13 games as a rookie and caught 11-of-15 targets for 108 yards. He was also given eight rushes on various gadget plays and totaled 69 yards on those, showing off his explosiveness with 8.7 yards per attempt.
Having just turned 24 years old on Saturday, Horn did play on Sunday for the Panthers. He didn’t record an offensive statistic, but he returned five kickoffs for 101 yards and two punts for 17 yards.
He did have a fumble, though, which may have contributed to his lost roster spot.
Why Did Panthers Waive Jimmy Horn Jr?
There’s nothing definitive out there to explain the move, but Horn was clearly on the fringes of the Panthers’ roster to begin with.
At 5-foot-8, he’s undersized for a receiver and was likely relegated to gadget-style offensive plays for the most part.
His key role that will need to be replaced is in the return game, but the Panthers must feel they have options there.
The depth chart website OurLads shows both Xavier Legette and Chuba Hubbard as backups at the two return spots behind Horn, so it seems like they’d get the next chances to do that for Carolina.
Horn, at just 24 and with some NFL experience, likely will attract interest from other teams, especially any that are looking to freshen up the return game.
The Panthers do have three wideouts on their practice squad that could be called up: David Moore, Ja’seem Reed and Casey Washington. Reed stood out in the preseason as an unheralded player to earn that spot, while Moore and Washington both have NFL experience already.
Panthers Cut Ties With Deion Sanders’ Colorado Star