Carolina Panthers QB ‘week-to-week’ after injury in preseason game. What’s next?
Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Haynes King put together a wonderful performance in the team’s first game of the preseason on Thursday night — and even rushed in the game-winning touchdown as time expired to boot.
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But some not-ideal news followed shortly thereafter.
According to a league source, King sustained a hamstring injury during Thursday night’s game. His availability will be “week-to-week,” and the team will likely sign another quarterback to supplement the QB room in the short term. Joe Person of The Athletic reported the news first.
King threw 21 completions in 34 pass attempts for 180 yards and two touchdowns in the annual Hall of Fame Game, one of four preseason games the Panthers will play in this preseason. That culminated into a passer rating of 95.2. He also added 39 rushing yards and a touchdown on three carries.
His play was the primary talking point after the fantastic preseason contest, which ended in a 33-30 Panthers’ win. It also prompted an early roster conversation: Should the Panthers keep three quarterbacks on its active 53-man roster — something head coach Dave Canales hasn’t done in his first two years in Carolina?
Now, though, that more long-term roster decision — though still very relevant decision — has been temporarily supplanted by a more immediate question facing the Panthers. After all, the team needs a third quarterback to get them through the rest of training camp and through its next three preseason games without asking too much of second-string quarterback Kenny Pickett or starter Bryce Young.
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The Panthers are expected to sign former Buccaneers quarterback Kyle Trask, whom the Panthers hosted for a tryout last week, according to a league source. Trask has robust experience with Canales and the rest of the offensive coaching staff from Trask’s time as a backup in Tampa Bay. The Panthers are currently at their 91-man training camp roster limit; in other words, the team will need to make a move to free up a roster spot for Trask to fill.
Another QB the Panthers could’ve considered: Jack Plummer, who most recently won the MVP award in the UFL and who spent most of the 2024 season on the Panthers’ practice squad. Another? Undrafted free agent Diego Pavia; the Heisman Trophy finalist a year ago worked out with the Panthers ahead of the NFL Draft in April before signing and then later being waived by the Baltimore Ravens.
The Panthers entered the summer with four quarterbacks: Young, Pickett, King and Charlotte-area native Will Grier. Grier, however, retired a few days before training camp and later was hired to be an offensive assistant coach for the Dallas Cowboys, where Grier spent a bulk of his NFL career.
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Mike Kaye contributed to this report.
This story was originally published August 8, 2026 at 4:32 PM.
