One mistake was apparently enough to put Jimmy Horn Jr. out of a job. Just days after muffing a punt in Carolina’s ugly 59-37 Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears, the $8.1 billion Panthers waived the former Colorado standout. For a speedy second-year receiver who had already won over plenty of fans, the message from the NFL was brutally clear: your leash can disappear after one bad Sunday.
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Dave Canales pushed back on the idea that Carolina had simply given up on Horn. He said the move came down to the roster spot, adding that he and GM Dan Morgan personally spoke with Horn because they still want him back on the practice squad.
“The roster spot drove it… I didn’t want him to go in the tank and be discouraged. We want him to come back. We want him to be here on the practice squad, because he brings a lot to what we can do,” Canales said.
The Panthers then used Horn’s roster spot to promote veteran linebacker Tyrel Dodson from the practice squad, a move that reinforced Canales’ explanation that the decision came down to roster needs.
While the Panthers were sorting out their roster mathematics, Horn’s former college coach and mentor, Deion Sanders, was already working the phones.
The Colorado Buffaloes head coach revealed on Buffs TV that one of the first things he did after Horn’s release was make calls to look out for his former player.
“Yeah, I made some calls,” Deion Sanders said before he went on about Horn’s flawless character.
“I love Jimmy. Jimmy’s a great, great guy… This kid is a great human being. The best thing I heard—the story about this kid—you know, we get our kids’ car deals and all of that, right? The dealer that I know that a lot of our kids get car deals from, there is only one guy who ever turned their car back in cleaned and with a tank full of gas. And that was Jimmy Horn.”
Sanders acknowledged that the NFL is a brutal world where draft status dictates how long of a leash a player gets. Because Horn was a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, his margin for error was much smaller than that of a heavily protected first-round draft choice.
Horn had shown flashes as a rookie, but his role was still limited. In 13 games for Carolina in 2025, he caught 11 passes for 108 yards and added 69 yards on eight carries. In the 2026 opener, he had 101 yards on five kick returns and 17 yards on two punt returns, but his lone fumble was the costly mistake that followed him out the door.
Prime noted that coaches simply treat players differently based on their value to the team, a harsh reality he openly admits to practicing in his own program at Colorado.
Deion Sanders has a habit of looking out for his players, even after they leave Colorado. He famously hosted specific transfer portal scrimmages for athletes who weren’t working out in his program. He designed these practices like NFL preseason games specifically, so struggling players could generate “portal film” to show to other coaching staffs across the country.
Despite the roster crunch and the sting of Horn’s special teams mistake, the message coming from both Carolina and Boulder is that neither side is ready to give up on him.
Dave Canales made sure to reassure everyone that the receiver’s NFL journey is far from over.
“And this isn’t the end of that story. This is just a part of it. And right now, we have to make the best decisions,” Canales said.
The Panthers’ willingness to offer him a spot on the practice squad gives the young receiver a clear path to rewrite his story.
Horn can now refine his return skills and work his way back to the active 53-man roster.
At the end of the day, that’s the price of playing in the NFL. One costly mistake can cost you a job opportunity. But with a head coach who still believes in his long-term strides and a legendary mentor like Deion Sanders pulling strings in his corner, Jimmy Horn Jr. has all the backing he needs to treat this setback as just a minor bump in the road.