CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NFL fans tuning into Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game hoping to see Bryce Young airing out passes to Tetairoa McMillan will be disappointed.Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales does not plan to play his starters in the NFL’s preseason kickoff game in Canton, Ohio. That means no Young, no McMillan, last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, and no Jonathon Brooks, the third-year running back who is returning from a second ACL surgery on his right knee.Panthers outside linebacker Princely Umanmielen was probably speaking for most of his teammates when he was asked about what he was looking forward to in the exhibition against the Arizona Cardinals.“I’m looking forward to being on the sideline in a jumpsuit,” Umanmielen said.Brandt Tilis on Bryce Young's ceilingJoseph PersonWhile the Panthers’ first-teamers and some of their backups will be dressed in workout gear at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, their younger or lesser known teammates will look to grab the spotlight in a game that will be broadcast by NBC and streamed live on Peacock.Four Panthers to watch:QB Kenny PickettThe Panthers signed the 28-year-old Pickett in March as the replacement for Andy Dalton, who was QB2 for Young’s first three seasons. Canales bonded with Pickett at his pro day at Pittsburgh before the 2022 draft, and has said he wants to be part of Pickett’s “story.” But it’s unlikely Thursday’s game will provide much fodder for a chapter.The expectation is that Pickett will only play a series or two before turning things over to Haynes King. For however long he’s in, Pickett wants the offense’s operation to be as clean as possible.“Really just see what’s going on at practice carry out onto the field,” Pickett said. “It’s our first time in a stadium against a new team. Just want to go out there and operate at a high level and play good football.”First-year play-caller Brad Idzik will keep things vanilla against the Cardinals and throughout the preseason. But Canales believes Pickett’s experience — he’s played with four other teams — should help him connect with Carolina’s receivers, even if McMillan, Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette won’t be among the targets.“I would imagine being on several different teams, working with several varieties of the depth chart of wide receivers, tight ends, etc., that he’s got experience trying to figure guys out pretty quickly. Different body types, different speeds, different profiles,” Canales said. “So that’s shown up. He’s able to and very comfortable playing with anybody and making sure that they understand what we’re trying to get done.”WR Ja’seem ReedReed is one of the young wideouts expected to get plenty of work Thursday. The second-year player from the University of San Diego has been one of the early surprises of training camp, although Panthers’ defensive players were familiar with Reed from his year on the practice squad in 2025.The 6-2, 195-pounder said competing against Pro Bowl cornerback Jaycee Horn and veteran Mike Jackson last fall is paying off this summer. “I think it really helped my game, just route-running and my ability to read coverages, going against guys like Mike Jack and Jaycee Horn every day,” he said. “And just being able to play free and create your own style and craft in your routes.”Reed has a great underdog story. San Diego was the only school to offer him coming out of his Los Angeles-area high school, and that was an academic scholarship. “I didn’t start getting offers until after my junior year and then my senior year was COVID,” he said. “So kind of messed everything up.”Reed pulled down 77 passes for 1,052 yards and 12 touchdowns in his final season in the Pioneer Football League, the country’s only non-scholarship, football-only FCS conference. He signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent last year, then joined the Panthers last July after the Browns released him.Canales likes Reed’s skill set, but said special teams ability will play a big role for the players battling for the last couple of WR spots.“He catches it when they throw it to him. He does the right things. He’s where he’s supposed to be when he’s supposed to be there,” he said. “Those things go far in the quarterback room, first and foremost. The guys talk about it. They’re looking to throw him the ball. That’s a really good thing.”Rookie undrafted free agent QB Haynes King will get plenty of chances Thursday to show what he can do with his arm and legs. (Jim Dedmon / Imagn Images)QB Haynes KingPlaying behind young offensive linemen and running scaled-back versions of the playbook, quarterbacks often get to show off their wheels during preseason games. That’s OK with King, the undrafted free agent who rushed for nearly 1,000 yards last year when he set a single-season Georgia Tech record with 3,920 yards of total offense.“Your legs are gonna be one of the answers in preseason games. With a lot of different groups, a lot of guys rotating, stuff happens,” said King, who had 430 rushing attempts in three seasons for the Yellow Jackets.Canales wants King to pick up first downs by any means necessary, but said his running ability could come in handy. “The fact that Haynes can do that is a great thing. It’s very forgiving as you’re playing with a different group of guys, a different group of linemen coming in and coming out (against) a new opponent.”When Will Grier retired last month to take a position on the Dallas Cowboys’ staff, it made King’s path to a roster spot a little more clear. But the Panthers may decide to keep only two QBs on the active roster, so King is viewing Thursday as a league-wide audition.“All the teams get to watch this film. So it’s almost kind of like a cool little tryout. Whatever you put on film, it’s gonna be there forever. The eye in the sky don’t lie, as everybody says,” he said. “I feel like it’ll be fun, but also at the end of the day it’s important for me and whatever is for me in the future.”DL Aaron HallFollowing LaBryan Ray’s retirement Tuesday and with Tershawn Wharton still sidelined after neck surgery in the spring, several first- and second-year defensive linemen are in the mix for significant playing time. Cam Jackson, a fifth-round pick in 2025, is listed as a starter on the Panthers’ first depth chart — ahead of Lee Hunter, this year’s second-rounder.Hall is listed as a third-teamer, but that was before Ray’s retirement. So Thursday represents an opportunity for the undrafted free agent from Duke to catch the eye of the coaches. The 6-4, 300-pound Hall was a two-year captain at Duke, where he racked up 122 tackles (22.5 for loss), eight sacks and 13 QB pressures in 53 games, including 26 starts.Hall and the rest of the defense will try to get pressure on rookie quarterback Carson Beck, who will start for the Cardinals with Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew expected to get the night off.