When the Panthers traveled to Jacksonville for joint practices with the Jaguars, one of the week’s best moments had nothing to do with a depth chart. Jimmy Horn Jr. and Travis Hunter — old Colorado teammates now on different NFL rosters — found each other on the field, and the Panthers captured it with a social media post reading “Two young Buffs.” For anyone who followed those Deion Sanders teams in Boulder, it was a genuine feel-good sight.
Horn and Hunter came up together at Colorado alongside Shedeur Sanders, part of the group that turned the Buffaloes into must-watch television. Hunter went No. 2 overall to the Jaguars and won a Heisman on his way out. Horn took the long road — a sixth-round pick, 208th overall, in 2025 — but the two share the same Coach Prime pedigree, and the reunion was a reminder of how much they meant to that program.
A bigger role is the goal in year two
The reunion is the fun part. The real story for Carolina is what Horn does next. As a rookie in 2025, the speedy receiver didn’t play an offensive snap until Week 5 and finished with a modest line — 11 catches on 15 targets for 108 yards, plus eight rushes for 69 yards across the season. He was a change-of-pace piece, not a focal point.
Year two is his chance to change that. Horn says the game has slowed down for him: “Being in the system again, everything is slowing down for me. Learning the plays better and just taking it one day at a time.” He’s been getting open with ease in camp, and he already flashed his knack for the timely catch in the Hall of Fame Game, hauling in a 12-yard grab from Haynes King late in the fourth quarter.
The roster math is real
None of this guarantees anything. Carolina’s receiver room is crowded, with Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker atop the depth chart and Xavier Legette in the mix, which leaves Horn competing for snaps and leaning on his value as a returner. With cutdown day looming, every preseason rep matters for a player in his position.
But speed like Horn’s is hard to teach, and chemistry with Bryce Young is exactly the kind of thing that earns a bigger role over time. The “Two young Buffs” photo will make the rounds with Colorado fans. Whether Horn turns this camp into a real offensive role is the storyline that actually counts for Carolina.
