Panthers Waive WR Jimmy Horn

Horn is out after muffing a punt in the Panthers’ loss to the Bears in Week 1. He failed to secure a fair catch, giving the Bears the ball at the Panthers’ 27-yard line with 6:56 left in the second quarter. The game was tied at 21 at the time, but the Bears took the lead with a field goal on that possession. They went on to win, 59-37, in the highest-scoring Week 1 game in NFL history.

In addition to serving as the Panthers’ primary return man in their opener, Horn played 14 offensive snaps. He went without a catch, though, and hasn’t contributed much as a receiver during his short career. After a productive four years divided between South Florida and Colorado (where he was in the same receiving corps as Travis Hunter), Horn came off the board in the sixth round of the 2025 draft. The 5-foot-8, 174-pounder played just under 14% of offensive snaps as a rookie and finished with 11 catches for 108 yards 13 games.

Horn only logged five special teams snaps last year, and he did did not return any punts or kicks. The Panthers decided to use Horn in that role after Trevor Etienne went on IR with a sprained ankle in late August, and it cost them Sunday. Nevertheless, Horn is “likely” to join the Panthers’ practice squad if he clears waivers, according to Alex Zietlow and Will Dehmel of the Charlotte Observer.

With Etienne out for at least three more games and Horn no longer on their roster, the Panthers’ depth chart now lists John Metchie as their No. 1 returner. Metchie is at the back end of a receiving corps that also includes Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, Xavier Legette and Brycen Tremayne.