Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales announces overdue change at wide receiver

Many Carolina Panthers fans have been wondering when we'll see 2025 sixth-round pick and wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. get on the field.

Horn has been a healthy scratch for the Panthers in all four games this season, but it appears that's going to change in Week 5.

On Monday, head coach Dave Canales revealed that Horn will make his NFL debut against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

"Yeah, we'll get to see Jimmy Horn; he's got a great opportunity," Canales said. "We're excited about it, want to make sure that he's able to go out there and give us significant reps, and we'll carve out a role because there's certainly things that he can bring to our offense with his speed and ability to carry the ball and make yards.

"So I'm excited for Jimmy to get this opportunity this week."

The decision on Horn comes amid the team dealing with a few injuries at wide receiver.

Xavier Legette has been out for each of the past two games, David Moore is considered week-to-week and Jalen Coker is still on injured reserve, although he can be activated at any time. It remains to be seen when that will actually happen, though.

"They're progressing; we'll gather more information," Canales said of the injured players. "Xavier had a good day today, but again, we're going to have to take that. Xavier's really day to day, and still week to week with Coker to see where we're at as we challenge him with more of a load that simulates what a game might be. Because the first step is to get the player healthy. The second step is to make sure that he's got the endurance and the resilience to be able to handle significant reps."

Horn had his moments during the offseason, but he was mostly quiet in three preseason contests, with the rookie reeling in six catches for just 29 yards.

But Horn now has a golden opportunity to carve out a role for himself and to avoid being a healthy scratch for good.

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