Panthers cut ties with former draft pick after Week 1 blunder to make room for a player who could help improve the defense
The Carolina Panthers have waived wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. and used the open roster spot to promote linebacker Tyrel Dodson from the practice squad.
The Carolina Panthers have made the first big roster move coming out of Sunday’s loss to the Chicago Bears and it’s one that’s going to impact both sides of the ball simultaneously.
The Panthers have waived former sixth-round pick Jimmy Horn Jr. and used the open roster spot to promote linebacker Tyrel Dodson off the practice squad and on to the active roster. The Dodson promotion was expected, but moving on from Horn as the corresponding move is a bit surprising.
The Panthers could have parted ways with one of their five tight ends or one of the healthy inactives from Sunday’s game. Instead, Horn got the boot and it was likely due to one play from Week 1.
Jimmy Horn Jr. waived by the Panthers after botched punt return in Week 1
Horn had a strong preseason showing and earned one of the final spots on the initial 53-man roster. Head coach Dave Canales was really impressed by Horn’s improvement on offense and what he brought to the team on special teams as a returner.
However, it only takes one play to lose trust in this league and that’s what happened with Horn on Sunday. In the second quarter, the Panthers finally got a key stop defensively against the Bears’ offense and were going to get the ball back in a tie game. However, Horn fumbled the punt (which was a well designed banana kick by the Bears) and Carolina lost possession after the ball was recovered by the Bears.
That was one of the three turnovers the Panthers had in Week 1 and those turnovers resulted in 17 points on the following drives. It’s clear that play was the last straw for Horn and now the team will be evaluating who will be returning punts moving forward, which will be an interesting conversation considering Trevor Etienne is on the shelf for three more games.
Can Tyrel Dodson adds some juice to the defense?
As for Dodson joining the active roster, it’ll be worth watching to see if he can bring some juice to the defense in Week 2. General manager Dan Morgan had history with Dodson early in his career with the Buffalo Bills and made a strong push to bring him to Carolina after getting cut by the Miami Dolphins.
“I think mine and his relationship definitely helped out,” Morgan said before the season. “He’s excited to be here. He wants to help, be a leader, and he wants to play too. I told him there will be opportunities down the road. So, he’s all in and excited to be here.”
Well, now that opportunity is here for Dodson to show what he can add to this unit after allowing 59 points and over 550 yards of offense in Week 1. One area he can start is against the run. Dodson had some strong performances against the run last season starting for the Dolphins and is a physical downhill player.
The Panthers needed some of that physicality after getting dominated by the Bears’ offensive front. It didn’t help that the Panthers had 11 missed tackles as well.
With a matchup coming up later this week against Bijan Robinson and the Atlanta Falcons’ rushing attack, the Panthers need all the additional help they can get and hopefully Dodson can provide some.
