The Cleveland Browns have moved quickly to add wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. after Carolina released him following Week 1, signing the 24-year-old to the practice squad and bringing a familiar face into the building for backup quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com confirmed the move.
The two spent two seasons together at Colorado, where Horn caught 95 passes for 1,008 yards and seven touchdowns from Sanders and formed a friendship that has lasted well beyond Boulder.
They have called each other brothers, shared viral reunion moments in last year’s preseason, and stayed close even after landing on different NFL rosters.
That history is part of why the signing stands out more than a typical midweek practice-squad addition.
Horn began his college career at South Florida, earning first-team All-AAC honors in 2022 before transferring to Colorado. The Panthers drafted him in the sixth round in 2025 and gave him a four-year rookie deal.
As a first-year player, he appeared in 13 games, catching 11 passes for 108 yards and adding eight carries for 68 yards. This season he saw limited work in the opener, including return duty, before Carolina waived him.
Multiple teams showed interest once he hit the market, but Cleveland won out and placed him on the practice squad rather than the active roster.
The move is first a depth and special-teams play. Horn brings speed and return experience to a receiver group that already includes Jerry Jeudy and other young options.
Practice-squad status means he can be elevated if injuries or scheme needs arise, and his familiarity with Sanders’ timing could make those snaps more useful if the backup quarterback ever enters a game.
That last point is what has fans talking. Deshaun Watson remains the starter after a rough Week 1, and there is no official indication that a change is imminent.
Still, pairing Sanders with a receiver who already knows his cadence and off-field habits is the kind of small organizational choice that often precedes a larger one. It does not prove Sanders will start soon.
It does suggest the Browns are comfortable building a pocket of Colorado chemistry around him. For Horn, the landing spot is a second chance after a brief and unproductive stay in Carolina. For Sanders, it is a reminder that the relationships from college have not disappeared.
Whether that friendship ever translates into regular-season targets depends on Watson’s play and how quickly Horn earns an elevation.
For now the Browns have added a known quantity to the practice squad and given their backup quarterback a teammate who already trusts him. In a season that began with questions at quarterback, that is not nothing.
