The 2025 NFL Hall of Fame game helped to kick off this year’s preseason with a pair of potential playoff contenders in the Los Angeles Chargers and the Detroit Lions, and now the rest of the field is set to kick things off this coming weekend. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear as if Jimmy Horn Jr. and Shilo Sanders will be allowed to make the most of the festivities.
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The pair of Colorado stars have been reportedly impressive all throughout OTAs and training camps, but now that the first wave of depth charts have been released, things don’t look quite as favorable as they once did. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers have respectively listed both Sanders and Horn as fourth-string players, suggesting that a roster spot may not necessarily be guaranteed.
In the case of Horn, he’s currently being slotted as the seventh-best receiver in Carolina while serving as the fifth option as a returner. Suffice it to say, it’s not going as well as they had likely hoped.
Sanders and Horn managed to make the most of their time in Boulder by developing not only their skillsets but their brand as well. After choosing to forgo the 2025 NFL Combine in favor of Colorado’s pro day, they each figured to be hopeful late-round fliers, which they were.
Nevertheless, the idea of being cut from the main roster, let alone being relegated to the practice squad, had never been on the table prior to this week’s depth chart. It’s a scary possibility to say the least, but thankfully, fans are doing their best to show their support of Sanders in spite of the news.
Who else wants to see Shilo make the roster? ✋
Guy seems like a class act and fun in the locker room
— TGLM-Sports (@TGLMSports) August 6, 2025
The same is true for Horn and the Panthers’ fanbase. Many find Carolina’s wide receiver room to be uninspiring, with Horn having the potential to provide more youth and explosive plays to the mix. In fact, the team has produced just one 1,000+ receiving yard wide receiver throughout the past three seasons.
There hasn’t been a lot of cause for excitement in Carolina in recent years, but at the very least, Horn is a name that people can get excited about. That alone is possibly enough to warrant a roster spot with the Panthers.
Name me 7 wrs better than horn on the panthers QUICK!
Tet, Theilen, Maybe Leggette?, Coker. "David Moore" and "Hunter Renfrow" don't move me— GP ✰🦈 (@WRLDofMaye) August 7, 2025
The good news, however, is that there’s still a bit of time left for the two of them to make an impression. After all, it’s only the first week of the preseason.
Any and every rep that they take from this point forward has the potential to sway someone’s opinion, and that’s all it takes. Should they manage to showcase the same talent and potential that Deion Sanders saw in them, then they will undoubtedly end up just fine, regardless of what happens on August 27th.
