The Carolina Panthers must have been thrilled with the way undrafted rookie quarterback Haynes King performed during the Pro Football Hall of Fame game against the Arizona Cardinals. As it turned out, that will be the last anyone sees of him in the preseason.
For this year, at least.
King suffered a hamstring injury on his game-winning touchdown run. He's being brought along gradually and was spotted working out on the field before Carolina's warm-up win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, head coach Dave Canales has now confirmed that the signal-caller won't feature on Friday night versus the Houston Texans.
Haynes King won't feature in Carolina Panthers' preseason finale, but his roster spot might be safe
If he's not ready, he's not ready. Just what this means for King's hopes of making the 53-man roster is something else entirely.
The Georgia Tech product's momentum was stunted at the worst possible time. King would have liked to stack good performances and leave no doubt, but it wasn't to be. He was no doubt itching to get back onto the field, especially given he'd be QB3 in Carolina if he does make the squad.
That remains a subject for debate. But the Panthers may have seen all they needed to throughout the offseason and during King's only warm-up outing.
General manager Dan Morgan was visibly excited about King's development when discussing the player. The Panthers made him a top priority target when the 2026 NFL Draft concluded, and they clearly believe the signal-caller can offer something with a little extra refinement.
Whatever the Panthers are teaching King, it's had the desired effect. He looked much more comfortable in the pocket than people gave him credit for. He went through his progressions effectively, had a live arm, and just seemed to make things happen.
The sample size was small. But sometimes, that's all a player in King's position needs.
Carolina can use King as a short-yardage quarterback while he continues to grow in other areas. Kenny Pickett is the backup and has performed relatively well throughout the preseason, but he's only on a one-year deal. Morgan is always thinking about the bigger picture, and the UDFA brings much more intriguing long-term upside.
And the Panthers would be running too big a risk to waive King with a view to bringing him back onto the practice squad.
There are always some slight doubts until his status on the team is confirmed. But if King was ready to go and fighting for his place, he'd be on the field.
That's not the case, which could mean the Panthers are comfortable enough with King getting healthy to make sure he can be of use when the real action begins.
Time will tell, but it would be a surprise if King didn't find his way onto the squad, even if he hasn't had the chance to showcase more in the preseason.
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