The Carolina Panthers are not going to play starters and even some crucial backups in the Hall of Fame Game against the Arizona Cardinals . There are still important players fans should keep an eye out for, though.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Haynes King (16) hands off the ball during training camp | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Kenny Pickett is going to start , but we don't expect him to play that much. He will be treated like Bryce Young is treated in normal preseason games. He needs some reps, but he also needs to stay healthy.
So, Haynes King will get a ton of run. He is a roster hopeful, and he essentially needs to convince the team he's worth a roster spot, since he probably won't overtake Pickett. That makes him one of the most interesting players who'll actually play against the Cardinals.
Starters like Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker won't play, so the wide receiver corps will be made up of roster hopefuls, and among them, Ja'Seem Reed is perhaps the most exciting. He has had a really good camp.
It's put him on the path to making the final 53, especially with Chris Brazzell out for the year. This will be his first chance to really show what he can do and try to perform outside a practice setting, which will be a big jump up for the former UDFA.
Lately, Jimmy Horn Jr.'s stock has risen at Panthers camp. However, he was off to a really slow start, and he needs to keep the momentum going. He's an exciting prospect, but the Panthers have several of those at wide receiver.
The Panthers need to make some hard decisions at the bottom of the depth chart. Horn doesn't play special teams, so he needs to make a name for himself at wide receiver. This will be his first chance to really do so.
Aaron Hall is on his way to making the Panthers' roster. The lack of depth up front with Tershawn Wharton 's injury almost guaranteed that, but Hall is also an athletic, exciting UDFA that the Panthers are impressed with.
Though his stock is probably high enough, Hall can make the final move to cement his place on the roster by performing well in the Hall of Fame Game.
Carolina Panthers linebacker Jackson Kuwatch (46) on the way to the practice field | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It is difficult to tell what the Panthers are getting in Jackson Kuwatch and what they want him to be. Is he a special teamer or is he a backup linebacker? Now's the time for him to prove what he can do and the Panthers to decide.
Kuwatch was a seventh-round flyer that was not exactly expected to be drafted, but he also had a high PFF grade in his final season in college, so maybe there's something there. We'll find out tonight, it seems.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/panthers/onsi as 5 Players to Watch During Panthers-Cardinals Hall of Fame Game .
