Jimmy Horn comes up big in joint practice

Horn has shown the kind of speed and explosiveness they anticipated during the preseason as well.

He led the team with four catches for 44 yards in the Hall of Fame Game, which feels like a month and a half ago.

Last week in Jacksonville, he took an end-around 39 yards, and added a catch for 15 yards, while showing a capability in the return game. That’s a new responsibility for Horn, as the Panthers have leaned toward giving the kick return snaps to running backs, but he had a 29-yarder there.

“He’s doing an excellent job fielding the ball in the return game as well, which is something that we really challenged him on this year,” Canales said. “So he’s taking the challenges the right way, and we’re seeing improvement in the things that we’ve talked about.

“So I’m really proud of Jimmy for that.”

Canales has said many times that special teams roles will be necessary for the non-starting receiver, and Horn showing he can do that will help him as they sift through the group this weekend, as they cut the roster to 53.