Carolina Panthers will play starters next preseason game. 5 injuries to monitor
Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales told reporters that his starters will play in the team’s next preseason contest against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday.
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That means Bryce Young, for the first time this preseason, will be out there.
The Panthers played their first of four preseason games on Thursday night, and the team’s starters — besides a few who are in a position competition — didn’t play.
On defense, Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson watched Corey Thornton and Chau Smith-Wade battle it out in the secondary. On offense, backup quarterback Kenny Pickett handed the ball off to third-string tailback Trevor Etienne and threw to reserve tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders and on-the-bubble wideout John Metchie for three series to start the contest before rookie Hanyes King took over thereafter.
That will change Saturday, when the Panthers play in the first official NFL preseason game at Highmark Stadium just outside of Buffalo. There’s reason for that, Canales said.
“We will play this week for sure,” Canales said. “We’ll take it week to week. We’ll get (Bryce) out there and probably play something similar to what Kenny and that group played in the Hall of Fame Game — so somewhere between 10 and 20 plays depending on how those drives pan out.”
Canales added: “It really goes back to the night before. Leading up to the game. Knowing you’re playing, regardless of how many snaps you’re playing, it changes how you prep, how you eat, how you wake up, what you do in the morning. … It’s just a great opportunity to put your mind in game-mode.”
Young is “excited” to take advantage of the opportunity, he told reporters Sunday. This approach isn’t all that different from last year for the fourth-year quarterback; Young played for varying durations in two of the Panthers’ three preseason contests in 2025.
“Anytime you get to play football live in a stadium, it’s a privilege,” Young said. He smiled. “Especially when you were out there last week. You’re around it. Obviously wasn’t playing, but you get that itch again. So I’m excited. And I think it’s a great opportunity for us as well.”
Read more Carolina Panthers will play starters next preseason game. 5 injuries to monitor
But the blanket phrase “starters will play” leaves some discretion to the coaches. The availability of several starters — and at least one player the Panthers would’ve otherwise counted on for big preseason reps — are in question thanks to recent injuries.
Here are five injuries to monitor as the Panthers head into their second preseason game.
Xavier Legette: Good to go. The former first-round pick wide receiver took a nasty fall last week after hauling in a touchdown pass. He landed on his head and was carted off the field; Canales later told reporters he cleared concussion protocol and was assessed with suffering from a “stinger.” A timeline for such an injury is murky, but Legette was a full participant during Sunday’s padded practice — great news considering Legette was having such a stalwart camp. Canales’ exact words on Legette: “The minor setback the other day with the stinger has seemed to be resolved. He had a great practice today. So I’m excited to see him out there in Buffalo.”
Derrick Brown: Questionable. Brown doesn’t take “vet days” — or rest days awarded to talented veterans. And he didn’t Sunday. Even though he wasn’t in shoulder pads or participating in team drills due to “knee soreness,” the Pro Bowl defensive lineman worked out lightly. His availability Saturday will be an interesting call. Canales said he is “trending in the right direction,” adding that “we’ll just keep tabs on that for when we can roll him right back into practice.”
Damien Lewis: Doubtful. Lewis has been out with a calf injury since July 28. When asked Sunday, Canales told reporters that the starting left guard has not suffered any injury setbacks — that this is merely part of his “return to play” process. Canales added that he is hopeful Lewis will be back for a preseason game prior to Week 1 of the regular season.
Bobby Brown: Likely. It might not be a guarantee that Brown — the defensive lineman the Panthers signed in free agency last March — will start Week 1, especially depending on the development of rookie DL Lee Hunter. But considering the uncertainty surrounding starter Turk Wharton (neck, out indefinitely), it’s a relatively safe bet. Brown missed practice Sunday but for a “personal” reason, Canales said — so reportedly it has nothing to do with the hamstring injury that kept him on the non-football injury list at the beginning of camp.
Haynes King: Out. The Panthers’ quarterback might not be a starter, but he was certainly the star of the team’s first preseason game. That’s overwhelmingly good news for a QB trying to make an NFL roster by the beginning of September. The bad news? On his game-winning touchdown run, in fact, he sustained a hamstring injury that has made him “week-to-week.” Canales said that King will not play against the Bills; instead, King’s reps will go to Kyle Trask, who the Panthers signed Sunday morning.
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This story was originally published August 9, 2026 at 2:31 PM.
