A couple of former Colorado Buffaloes are set for a reunion, as the Cleveland Browns plan to sign wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. to their practice squad, according to multiple reports. Horn will once again join forces with quarterback Shedeur Sanders, although it remains to be seen whether the two will take in-game snaps together at any point this season.
With Horn set to join the practice squad and Sanders still behind starting quarterback Deshaun Watson on the depth chart, there is no guarantee that their connection from college will play out in the regular season. It is not unlikely, though, considering Watson's grip on the starting job is tenuous at best and that Horn could be elevated to the active roster once he settles in with his new team.
Horn opened the season with the Carolina Panthers and played in their Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears. The Panthers had to clear a roster spot for linebacker Tyrel Dodson, however, and Horn became a casualty of the 53-man limit. Panthers coach Dave Canales said Wednesday that he hoped Horn would return to Carolina's practice squad, but he will not make it back to his old team, with Cleveland set to pick him up off waivers.
Across 14 career games, Horn has 11 receptions for 108 yards. He also opened 2026 as the Panthers' primary kick returner and was busy in Week 1 with five touches on kickoffs and two on punts. Horn muffed one of the Bears' punts in his debut in that role.
For Horn to make the Browns' active roster and carve out a spot in the receiving unit, he would need to at least assert himself as a weapon akin to Isaiah Bond, Malachi Corley and Tylan Wallace, who opened the year on the second line of the depth chart. Cleveland features a young group with two rookies holding starting roles and could continue that youth movement by inserting a second-year player into the mix.
What does the Jimmy Horn Jr. signing mean for Shedeur Sanders?
It may be pure coincidence that the Browns intend to sign one of Sanders' college teammates, or it could hint toward their plans for the quarterback position. Any further disastrous starts from Watson would only amplify the calls for Cleveland to swap him out in favor of Sanders, and with the home opener looming in Week 3, it is reasonable to wonder if the team wants to put a struggling Watson in front of the fans that booed him off the field in the preseason.
Sanders would have ranked last among qualifiers in QBR last season if his sample size was large enough, so if the Browns are to make the switch and place him back in the lineup this year, it behooves them to put as many weapons around him as possible. Rookie receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston are new targets who could help him improve as a second-year pro, and his familiarity with Horn could warrant elevating the soon-to-be Brown from the practice squad.
Horn arrived at Colorado at the same time as Sanders, ahead of the 2023 college football season. The two developed an immediate bond through the air as Sanders hit Horn for a team-high six touchdowns in their first year together. Horn's production regressed in his senior campaign as he took a backseat to eventual Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.
