Jimmy Horn Jr. probably didn’t expect to get waived after just one game this season, and the Carolina Panthers didn’t expect him to turn down a second chance either. Horn muffed a punt in Carolina’s Week 1 loss to the Bears, and the Panthers cut him loose shortly after. Head coach Dave Canales made it clear he wanted Horn back on the practice squad. Horn wasn’t interested.
The reason traces straight back to Boulder. Hours after Horn cleared waivers, his old college coach revealed he’d already been working the phones on his former receiver’s behalf.
“I made some calls immediately. I love Jimmy. Jimmy’s a great kid. I’m not questioning management because I’m not there, but this kid is a great human being… We give our kids car deals and all of that, right? … There’s only one guy who ever turned their car back in, cleaned, with a tank full of gas: Jimmy Horn. That says a lot about who he is… If you just wanted to get rid of him, it wasn’t about character.”
Deion Sanders says he IMMEDIATELY made some calls for Jimmy Horn Jr. right after news broke that he has been cut by Carolina Panthers.
Less than 48hrs later, the Cleveland Browns are expected to sign Jimmy Horn Jr.
That’s real power, and a Coach you want by your side 🫡… pic.twitter.com/n4s810tvC0
— CulturedUpdatez (@CulturedUpdatez) September 17, 2026
That’s Deion Sanders, and those calls didn’t take long to pay off. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Horn is signing with the Browns, reuniting him with his old Colorado quarterback, Shedeur Sanders.
Losing Horn wasn’t really about talent on Carolina’s end. His practice squad spot got squeezed out when the Panthers promoted linebacker Tyrel Dodson to the active roster, a move made to shore up a shaky linebacking corps after Week 1.
Canales says the two had a good conversation about where things stood, but once Horn had Sanders working on his behalf, staying in Carolina’s plans was never going to compete with a fresh start alongside a familiar face.
There’s a strange little twist buried in the schedule too. Carolina travels to Cleveland in Week 3, meaning Horn could suit up against the same team that just cut him, and do it catching passes from Shedeur while he’s at it.
It’s also worth wondering if this opens a door on the QB side. Deshaun Watson hasn’t looked like himself through two weeks, and adding a familiar target for Shedeur could matter if Cleveland ever decides it’s time for a change under center.
For Horn, the whole ordeal ends up looking like a blessing in disguise. He fought hard to make Carolina’s 53-man roster over the summer, only to lose his spot to a single special teams mistake. Now he gets a second shot in a building where his old coach clearly still has his back, and a quarterback who already knows exactly what he can do with the ball in his hands.