As you might have heard, the Carolina Panthers will take part in the season opener in Canton, Ohio. Franchise Legend Luke Kuechly is set to be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Thursday, and later, his Panthers will take the field.
While the Hall of Fame Game typically doesn’t produce jaw-dropping numbers or insane highlights, there are always storylines and intriguing players to follow.
With the Panthers set to take the field later tonight, here are some of the most important things fans should keep their eyes on.
Haynes King…and Kenny Pickett
As expected, Dave Canales announced that all of the listed starters, including Bryce Young, will not participate in the team’s first preseason game. That opens the door for backup Kenny Pickett to get some reps.
Pickett will get his reps, and we largely know what the former Super Bowl champ can do. The real highlight of the Panthers quarterbacking will be Haynes King.
King started his college career at Texas A&M before transferring to Georgia Tech for his final three seasons. King’s calling card at GT was being a true dual-threat option that could cause real issues with his legs.
Given that newly-appointed Offensive Coordinator Brad Idzik will likely want to keep the “real plays” close to the vest in the preseason, King will have the opportunity to show off his improvisational abilities in this contest.
King noted in his media availability on Tuesday that this is an opportunity to show off what he can do - not just for the Panthers - but for all 32 teams across the league.
What we’ll be looking for at SportCLT will be King’s ability to connect on passes downfield, something that fellow backup option Kenny Pickett struggles to do effectively.
Fans should also look to see any QB sneaks/short runs that the team dials up for King. With QB sneaks being something the team wants the 5’9” Bryce Young to shy away from, King could carve out an early role as a short yardage specialist if he succeeds during the HOF Game.
Ja’Seem Reed and Co.
Like Young, Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, and Xavier Legette will all sit out of this contest. Given the injury to Chris Brazzell II, there are quite a few spots open at the receiver position.
Of course, the battles for WR4 and onwards will continue throughout the preseason, but tonight’s game will be a good first look at how players like Jimmy Horn Jr. and John Metchie III can make their quarterbacks’ lives easier.
One name at the receiver position that has garnered a lot of attention during the summer is Ja’Seem Reed. The former San Diego Torero spent his rookie season on Carolina’s practice squad last year, and has had flashes throughout this year’s camp.
Fans always find smaller names to root for during camp, but Reed has made real impressions among his peers.
With the aforementioned injuries to the position, Reed has a real chance to carve out a role for himself, not too dissimilar to what Jalen Coker did two years ago. Reed also has the potential to bring something to the table that the Panthers offense lacks - downfield juice.
If Reed is able to impress with Pickett and King throwing him the ball, he will likely earn himself reps with the 1s during the other preseason matchups and joint practices.
The Panthers need all the help they can get in the pass-catching department, and Reed is the name to watch as the receiver battles start in the HOF Game.
Defensive Line and Edge Rusher Depth
Carolina’s defensive front depth has been decimated to start the year. Turk Wharton’s timeline is up in the air as he recovers from neck surgery, Bobby Brown III just started practicing this week, and sturdy depth piece LaBryan Ray has chosen to retire after being with the team the last few seasons.
Along the edge, breakout star Nic Scourton is also lost for the season.
Now that we know that rookie QB Carson Beck is slated to start for Arizona, we’re going to need to see some sacks.
The DL rotation including Lee Hunter, Cam Jackson (who is currently listed as the team’s starting nose tackle), and Aaron Hall should be able to get pressure on the young quarterback.
Cam Jackson’s emergence could be huge for the Panthers this season. The former fifth round pick from the 2025 NFL Draft played sparingly last season, but has the frame and tools to be a big impact player in the middle of the defensive line.
Jackson and Hunter should be a fun competition and a strong rotation that fits well with Derrick and Bobby Brown.
Undrafted free agent Aaron Hall also has a huge opportunity in this game. LaBryan Ray often occupied the DL5/6 spot, contributing to the rotation and on special teams. If Hall impresses, there’s a good chance he follows in Ray’s footsteps.
As far as the edge rushers go, Cam Gill is a name that could surprise fans during the preseason.
Gill has spent time in Carolina before, but most recently was named the UFL Defensive Player of the Year for the 2026 season. This past season, Gill amassed a league-leading 10 sacks, 19 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery across 10 regular season contests.
A newly-reinvigorated Cam Gill, coming off of a historic year in the United Football League, could be a name to keep an eye on in the wake of Nic Scourton’s absence.
Defensive Back Rotation
Other than receiver, the position that is likely most-contested during the preseason will be the defensive back rotation. We all know Horn, Jackson, Moehrig, and (likely) Nick Scott will be the team’s four main starters in the defensive backfield.
But who will man the slot/nickel corner spot?
Nickel corner was a position that fluctuated for the Panthers last season. Chau Smith-Wade began the year as the starter, but ceded the position to rookie undrafted free agent Corey Thornton midway through the season.
Notably, Carolina also drafted former Texas A&M DB Will Lee III in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, while also adding UDFA DeVonta Smith (no, not that one) from Notre Dame.
Lee gives the team the ability to man up more on the boundary, allowing someone like Jaycee Horn to play more in the slot. Horn often thrived in the slot early in his career under the play-calling of Phil Snow.
There’s a good chance that we see a lot of Lee, Thornton, Smith-Wade, and Smith during tonight’s contest. It’s less likely that they’ll face some of Arizona’s big names, like Trey McBride or Marvin Harrison Jr, but the DBs will all get their shot to make some plays.
With Beck throwing the ball, there’s a good chance an interception will be up for grabs.
While it might be cool to the fans if the Panthers get the win, the final score ultimately doesn’t matter. This game is to kick off the season, and highlight two phenomenal players enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
What does matter in this contest are the plays that each player makes. This is the first of many opportunities against other competition for players along the fringe of the roster to show that they belong.
Now that the six-month drought without football games is nearing it’s end, SportCLT will be putting forth a few newsletters every week:
The first will be reviewing the previous game, breaking down the result and key moments along the way, courtesy of NFL Pro.
Next will be a draft-centric piece, highlighting some of the breakout players at the college level that fans should keep an eye on heading into the 2027 NFL Draft.
Lastly, SportCLT will be previewing each contest prior to kickoff, detailing important matchups and keys for the Panthers to nail in order to pull off a win.
I (Jacob) want to personally thank readers for subscribing to SportCLT, and look forward to providing more Carolina Panthers contest for the fastest-growing Charlotte sports coverage in the game.
Enjoy the Hall of Fame Game, and Keep Pounding.
I'm looking forward to seeing Reed!