Head coach Dave Canales has made some perplexing lineup decisions this year for the Carolina Panthers. On defense, Nick Scott and Trevin Wallace keep on starting despite frequent errors. Meanwhile on offense, veteran David Moore continues to get priority playing time over younger and more athletic wide receivers.
Perhaps the most confusing decision has been rookie wide receiver/returner Jimmy Horn Jr. not getting into the lineup at all thus far this season. Despite earning a lot of hype during training camp, Horn has been a healthy scratch in all three games.
Good news: something may finally be changing this week. According to an account by Joe Person at The Athletic, at Wednesday’s practice Horn did not work with the scout team but saw his first action on offense and defense.
“Jimmy Horn Jr., the sixth-round pick from Colorado, has been relegated to the scout team and was inactive for the first three games. But the speedy Horn said he received reps on the offensive and defensive fields Wednesday. ‘I got better today,” Horn said. “I got reps. I got better — mental and physical.'”
Hopefully this means we’ll get our first look at Horn this week against the New England Patriots.
As to what shape that takes – it seems like a long shot for Horn to get a meaningful chunk of the passing offense – as he’s clearly at or near the bottom of the depth chart at wide receiver.
Special teams might be his only real chance to make an impact this season – and there’s no reason not to give him an opportunity. While they’re doing a great job on kickoff coverage, the Panthers rank 30th in average punt returns and 30th in average kick returns after three games.
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