Dave Canales announces which QB will start for the Panthers on Thursday in the Hall of Fame Game against the Cardinals
Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales revealed that backup quarterback Kenny Pickett will start on Thursday in the Hall of Fame Game against the Arizona Cardinals.
The Carolina Panthers were back in action on Monday after taking two days off from practice and it’s officially game week with the Panthers set to face off against the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night in the Hall of Fame Game at Canton, Ohio.
It’s the first of four preseason games the Panthers will play over the next few weeks and it’s a great early opportunity for the Panthers to treat this week as a true “game week” in terms of the practice schedule. Head coach Dave Canales also made the big announcement after Monday’s practice regarding the quarterback position.
Kenny Pickett will start at quarterback for the Panthers against the Cardinals with Bryce Young sitting out. Haynes King will serve as Pickett’s backup Thursday night.
“Kenny will start the game off, for how long? I’m not sure,” Canales told reporters. “We have a good number of guys that will be helping out early on in the game. We don’t want to overload any one particular group on our team… Kenny’s excited as well as the rest of the group and they’ve been talking a lot about it.”
Kenny Pickett will lead the Carolina Panthers on Thursday in the Hall of Fame Game
Pickett signed with the Panthers on a one-year deal and is looking to reestablish himself as one of the 32 best quarterbacks in the league. The Panthers are committed to Bryce Young being the starter (as far as 2026 goes) making preseason work a big opportunity for Pickett to prove himself again on the field.
“He’s in there early, he’s ready to go,” Canales added of Pickett. “He knows the script. He knows what’s happening. He’s asking great questions. He’s bringing things up from places he’s been in the past. It’s exactly right.”
With only two quarterbacks on the roster behind Young, Pickett and King will see plenty of action Thursday night under center. That work will be especially valuable for King, the undrafted rookie the Panthers were really excited about bringing in.
As for other players to watch on offense, Pickett shared high praise for the second-team wide receivers he’s been working with throughout the first few days of training camp during his sit down with the Charlotte Observer.
“I knew since the day I got here that Ja’seem Reed was a great player, but you never know until you play with him against a defense,” Pickett said. “And the fact that he’s popping on tape consistently every day, same with BT (Brycen Tremayne), same with (John) Metchie — Metchie’s been doing unbelievable. That room is deep. And I hope it’s a hard decision for those guys upstairs to make. I want all those guys to have an unbelievable camp and show what they can do.”
Pickett will play a major role in that decision as the starting quarterback going into Thursday’s game. It’ll be a big moment for him, King, and the rest of the team to get valuable reps in a live game setting.
