Panthers Waive Jimmy Horn Jr. After Good Preseason

Jimmy Horn Jr. has been waived by the Carolina Panthers despite his good preseason, and after the Panthers lost in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears

Horn had no yards and no receptions in the loss on one target, but did have a costly muffed punt.

Horn was a sixth-round pick in 2025 and served primarily as the team’s punt returner, which is what he did in Week 1.

His bad punt led to a field goal for Chicago and seems to be the main reason he was cut.

Turnovers, including the punt, were costly for the Panthers in Week 1. The team totaled three, each in a different way: a muffed punt, an interception, and a fumble.

Those three turnovers cost them 17 points in a 22-point loss. A ton of penalties also led Head Coach Dave Canales to speak after the game about playing smarter. He said the performance wasn’t good enough: “17 points off of turnovers against a really good team, that’s not something that you can do to play the championship football that we need to play.”

Horn got a good amount of reps last year for the Panthers and played a normal amount of snaps in Week 1 for his normal workload.

Linebacker Tyrel Dodson will take Horn’s roster spot after being promoted from the practice squad.

Dodson began the year as a part of the Miami Dolphins organization and was cut just before the start of the regular season.

With Trevor Etienne out with an ankle injury, the team will need to find a new punt and kickoff returner. Perhaps the Panthers will look to the other five receivers still on the roster.

The Panthers look ahead to the Atlanta Falcons this weekend in a battle between two teams that lost their opener.