The Carolina Panthers quickly made a roster move after Week 1 to reallocate resources.
They cut wide receiver and return man Jimmy Horn Jr. in order to create space on the active roster for linebacker Tyrel Dodson.
The Panthers expressed hope that Horn would pass through waivers and be able to join their practice squad.
Instead, Horn is heading to the Cleveland Browns.
Multiple reports on Thursday morning indicated that Horn is signing with Cleveland, where he’ll be reunited with his college teammate from Colorado, Shedeur Sanders.
Can confirm @Schultz_Report that former Colorado WR Jimmy Horn Jr. will sign with #Browns practice squad. Was college teammate of Shedeur Sanders.
— Chris Easterling (@ceasterlingABJ) September 17, 2026
If the Panthers truly believed Horn would pass through waivers and end up on their practice squad, this ends up feeling like an unfortunate miscalculation.
Also of note: The Panthers play at the Browns in Week 3.
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 last 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.
Horn fumbled in Week 1, which probably didn’t help his cause for sticking in Carolina.
Jimmy Horn Jr. Signs With Browns
The Browns could have some room for Horn, depending on how they feel about the back half of their WR depth chart with Malachi Corley, Tylan Wallace and Isaiah Bond.
His return skills could also be intriguing to Cleveland, although Raheim Sanders just had a big kick return in Week 1, and the rookie KC Concepcion has already won the punt return job.
Cleveland clearly wants to get a closer look at Horn and see what he might be. Horn stands just 5-foot-8, which makes his NFL future tougher, but he has been a productive football player before, and a rebuilding Browns team isn’t in a position to overlook guys who could help them in the future.
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