Carolina Panthers 2026 preseason fan mailbag: Haynes King rules all

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CANTON, OHIO - AUGUST 06: Haynes King #16 of the Carolina Panthers scores a five-yard touchdown to defeat the Arizona Cardinals 33-30 in the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game at Tom Benson Hall Of Fame Stadium on August 06, 2026 in Canton, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images

Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! It has been a heck of a week following the GREATEST HALL OF FAME GAME EVER, and we’re onto the Buffalo Bills, where we’ll get to see some Panthers starters for a change. I despise the preseason, but so far this particular year has been quite fun. Let’s dive into your questions!


@WTMealey: Two answers please to the same question because person asking is different

How do you feel about the Panthers upcoming season?

Answer 1-friend/aquiantance who know you are a Panthers fan, but is at best a casual fan of football in general and probably doesn’t know any players outside of Bryce maybe Tmac

Answer 2-friend who is a hard core fan of both the NFL in general but also a hard core fan of another team-your choice who the other team is

1. I feel pretty good about this season, but in the sense that the Panthers will be a team discussed more seriously by the national media than they have since possibly 2019. They may only win one more game than last year, but its nice to see non-Panthers fans taking notice for a change.
2. Draft Jalen Coker in fantasy, bruh-ther! And Jonathon Brooks!

Bruce Guild: Your thoughts on chances (in %) of King making the 53 before the HoF game and after?

Do you think if King continues to show composure and ability demonstrated in the HoF game does it change Morgan’s, Tillis and Eager’s approach and mindset on any possible 2nd contract? Does it reduce pressure to sign at a premium knowing you may have a QB on the roster that can be developed with possible high upside?

I went into the offseasons thinking Haynes King was a lock to make the practice squad after final roster cuts. And as you know, I am notoriously right about the training camp and preseason feel good stories who end up being cut. However, that performance did change my view, I do think Haynes King actually finds himself on the 53 man roster. He definitely adds a talent that the Panthers can use, both as a QB and as a gadget/package specific player.

Now, in regards to Bryce Young, I don’t think Haynes King making the roster changes anything. King should not factor into the decision to give him an extension, its going to be 100% on Bryce. That decision is going to be figured out based on his performance this season. King doesn’t have anything to do with that. Might impact Kenny Pickett more than anything if I’m being honest.

Revshawn: So now that a few days have passed after the epic performance of Haynes King and his heroic comeback on Thursday, what is the current opinion of Brian Beversluis’s on the matter as well as his future in Carolina? Do we got something cooking here?

How is it possible for so many draft analysts to be so blind to the glory and the magnificence that is Haynes King? First of his name. King of the Queen City. Lord Command of the South. Guardian over the Mason Dixon line.

I was very pleased with Haynes King. I felt he would need a lot more work to be able to throw consistently at the NFL level but he clearly put the work in, or the talent was already there. Sure, he’s not exactly young at 25 years old for a rookie, but its not like the Panthers burned a first round pick on him or anything like that. It seems that most analysts had questions for him as a passer, so that will continue to be my thing I want to see more of. But he certainly surprised me with his throws and poise in the pocket right away. For once, the CSR hype may have been warranted.


JakeNCVA: What position/position group — if any — do you think the answer is not currently on the roster and that will be filled with other teams’ roster cuts or even a trade before the season starts?

Its always funny with these mailbags, often the team does something in between that basically answers my question. I probably would have said tight end as one of the options, and the team went and signed TE Darren Waller out of the blue earlier in the week. That likely means they don’t believe in Ja’Tavion Sanders as the pass catching tight end of their multi-faceted group right now.

I also believe they may bring in a linebacker on the inside during cuts. They are also known to grab interior offensive and defensive linemen for depth during the final roster cutdowns. Possibly a player in the secondary but so far I’ve been pretty impressed with most of the guys projected to make the roster.


Mozzie11: On the taskbar of my computer on the left is the weather or a news blurb. When you hover over it a news aggregate feed pops up with news articles covering a wide range of topics. And right there in the feed this morning was ‘Ask Brian: The Panthers won a preseason game!’ Brian going big time. Congratulations to all posters who helped make this happen. I am sure checks will be mailed out soon.

In a sideline reporter voice: So Brian how does this success make you feel?

I words very good. But seriously, you all interacting and having discussions often helps these kinds of things. So that’s more of a testament to the community than anything! So comment down below with how the success makes YOU feel!


Dcangio09: Well there it is

Not a question, but a proper send off for this fan mailbag! Jalen Coker is the only WR drafted since 2020 who has 125+ yards and 1+ TDs in a playoff game, and he did it in his first one. CSR has gotten very good at recognizing UDFA talent before the rest of the world has caught on. Celebrate yourselves.


ENJOY THE GAME TODAY AND KEEP POUNDING!

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