The Carolina Panthers waived second-year wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. on Tuesday, ending the 2025 sixth-round pick's run in Charlotte just one week into the 2026 season — and just 48 hours after a spinning "banana ball" punt got the best of him in a 59-37 season-opening loss to the Chicago Bears.
On paper, the move was a numbers game. Carolina signed veteran inside linebacker Tyrel Dodson off the practice squad and needed to clear a spot on the 53-man roster. But the timing, coming so close to a costly special-teams mistake, made the decision feel like more than routine roster maintenance.
How One 'Banana Ball' Punt Cost Jimmy Horn Jr. His Roster Spot
Horn entered Sunday's opener as Carolina's primary kickoff and punt returner, a role that put him squarely in the path of one of the NFL's most unusual special-teams weapons. Midway through the second quarter, with the game tied at 21, Bears punter Tory Taylor — an Australian-raised specialist — uncorked a side-spinning punt that started toward the sideline before curling back inside the hashes.
Bears head coach Ben Johnson labeled the kick a "banana ball" — a punt adapted from Australian rules football that is aimed at the sideline before its side spin drags it back toward the middle of the field. That unpredictable movement makes it notoriously difficult to track and field. Horn couldn't corral it, and the Bears recovered the muff. The takeaway turned into a Chicago field goal that gave the Bears a 24-21 lead, and the Panthers never fully recovered in a 22-point defeat.
"Look at the angle Tory Taylor strikes this punt," Bears reporter Adam Hoge wrote on X after the play. "It starts outside towards the sideline, but then comes all the way back inside the hashes. Hard to track, especially with this kind of hang time. Huge play."
Horn also had a near-fumble earlier in the game that was ruled down by contact, compounding a rough afternoon in the return game. On Tuesday, the Panthers announced Dodson's signing and Horn's release in the same transaction, closing the book on his brief run as a receiver. Horn finished his lone full NFL season in 2025 with 11 receptions for 108 yards across 13 games.
From South Florida to Colorado to Carolina: Horn's Football Journey
Horn grew up in Sanford, Florida, and starred at Seminole High School, catching 42 passes for 736 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior. He began his college career at South Florida, where he caught 30 passes for 408 yards as a freshman, then broke out as a sophomore with 37 receptions for 551 yards and three touchdowns. He added first-team All-American Athletic Conference honors as a kick returner after returning nine kickoffs for 209 yards and a touchdown in 2022.
After that season, Horn entered the transfer portal and ultimately chose Colorado, picking Deion Sanders' Buffaloes over offers from Houston, Penn State, and Texas A&M. In Boulder, he became a staple of Sanders' high-octane offense alongside future top-10 draft picks Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. His pre-draft testing — a 4.46-second 40-yard dash, a 38-inch vertical, and a 10-foot-8 broad jump — backed up the film, and the Panthers selected him with the 208th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL draft.
Deion Sanders, an Incarcerated Father, and the Stakes Behind Horn's NFL Dream
Horn's football story has always carried weight beyond the field. His father, Jimmy Horn Sr., is a former NFL wide receiver who has been incarcerated for much of Horn Jr.'s rise, and was moved to a prison outside of Denver during his son's college career. At Colorado, Sanders stepped into a father-figure role, and Sanders' oldest son, Deion Sanders Jr., has described Horn as "like my blood brother." The relationship became one of the defining human-interest threads of the Buffaloes' resurgence.
That backdrop makes Tuesday's waiver sting beyond the box score. Horn has been candid about playing for his family and for a father who hasn't been able to watch him in person. One muffed punt — even against a kick as tricky as a banana ball — was enough to cost him a roster spot in a league where the margins are unforgiving.
Dave Canales: 'This Is Not the End' for Jimmy Horn Jr.
Panthers head coach Dave Canales pushed back on the idea that the waiver was a verdict on Horn's development. Asked about the decision Tuesday, Canales framed the move as numbers-driven — a reflection of the team's need for linebacker depth rather than a repudiation of Horn's progress.
"This is not the end," Canales said, according to reports. The coach indicated Horn has shown strides and could be brought back on the practice squad if he clears waivers, a scenario that would keep the speedy receiver in Carolina's plans while the roster stabilizes.
What Happens Next for Jimmy Horn Jr.
Horn now enters the waiver process, where the other 31 NFL teams have a window to claim his contract. If he goes unclaimed, the Panthers can sign him to their practice squad — the outcome Canales appeared to endorse.
Given his verified speed, his return-game experience, and his ties to one of college football's most recognizable programs, Horn could draw interest from teams hunting for a depth receiver or a return specialist. The next 48 hours will determine whether his Panthers tenure is truly over or merely paused.
The Bottom Line: What to Know About Jimmy Horn Jr.'s Waiver
- The Panthers waived second-year wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026.
- The move opened a roster spot for veteran linebacker Tyrel Dodson, signed off the practice squad.
- Horn muffed a "banana ball" punt from Bears punter Tory Taylor in a 59-37 Week 1 loss, setting up a Chicago field goal.
- Horn was a 2025 sixth-round pick (208th overall) who caught 11 passes for 108 yards as a rookie.
- Head coach Dave Canales said "this is not the end" and left the door open for Horn to return via the practice squad.
