Carolina Panthers 2026 Preseason Fan Mailbag: Bryce Young, Haynes King, Pat Jones, Roster Decisions, And More!

Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! We got flooded with questions after a generally bad preseason outing. Let’s dive right in to everything you want to talk about!

facepalmjedi: What can I do about my dread of watching Bryce Young stink up the field for the next two, maybe more, seasons?

I don’t think one preseason game is worth bringing up these kinds of thoughts. Lets all revisit at least a few weeks into the season, when the teams are playing real football and not just trying to log reps in games that don’t matter. I’m sorry if this answer feels targeted, you just happened to be the first one to ask a question this week!

schrodingersblackcat: It seems most fans I’ve seen making predictions have us carrying 3 QBs on the final 53. And after what we’ve seen from King, I can’t imagine cutting him. There’s no way he would clear waivers.

Considering we’re also looking heavy at WR and hard up for roster spots, is there any scenario where we cut Pickett and roll with King at QB2?

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Panthers did cut Haynes King and hope they can stash him on the practice squad, but after that Hall of Fame game performance, I’m definitely leaning more towards them carrying 3 QBs and trying to stash another depth pieces (WR, CB, LB) on the practice squad. I don’t see them moving on from Kenny Pickett, but its not something I couldn’t entirely envision either. But my money is on 3 QBs on the final 53.

Coach_K: make or break year for Evero?

Probably not. I’m not sure what fans’ issues with Ejiro Evero are right now. He managed to field a middle of the pack defense with basically zero solid inside linebackers and a complete lack of pass rush. Now, if with all the pieces they added his off-season, he fields a WORSE defense, that would be cause to consider his future in Carolina. But I just don’t see it, and I don’t know why Evero is a topic of conversation right now in fan circles.

DannyLimes: what/who are you most excited to see with the remainder of pre-season. Who has the most to gain, who has the most to lose?

Princely Umanmielen is someone I have been watching heavily, as he could have a very important role as a designated pass rusher now that he’s basically the 3rd edge on the roster. I very much want to see if the work he’s put in during the off-season pays dividends with on field production. He absolutely has the most to gain.

I’m also excited to see more from the young DBs this team has accumulated over the last couple of seasons. Will Lee and Corey Thornton at CB, Lathan Ransom and Zakee Wheatley at S, all have much to gain by continuing to make plays.

On offense, I’d like to see Jonathon Brooks get a fair shot at running the ball instead of getting swallowed up by the opposing defense right away every play. He very much seems to factor into the team’s plans on offense during the regular season, and I’d love to see him pop a long run just to show he’s back.

Bull123: Brian…legit question, is Pat Jones gonna be a player for us this year?

I actually really liked what I saw from Pat Jones before he got hurt last season. He showed a relentless motor getting after the quarterback and he’s going to have a large role in this defense as the run setting EDGE rusher. I actually think he’s going to be a nice comeback story if he can remain healthy, and luckily he has some solid pieces around him to lighten the load.

@WTMealey: Do you feel like the comments on this site have discussed BY ad nauseum or is there still aspects of his skills or lack of or contract that you still find interesting?

I love the Panthers and think I am realistic about BY with a healthy amount of homer bias while still seeing the flaws in his game namely consistency. But I get the groundhog day effect sometimes with folks who fail to acknowledge his successes.

Maybe they feel the same way about me.

Anywho do you enjoy the debate or are you over it?

I’m very much over the debate about Bryce Young as a starter this season, he’s going to be the starter barring an injury or a severe regression. One preseason game is not going to change that. There’s really no reason to be talking about a new contract either as the team has made it very clear they aren’t making a decision on that until next off-season, possibly later since he’s still on the 5th year option next season. We’ve seen high level play and absolute dog water play from him at times throughout his career, I’m just looking to see something more consistent and that’s all I’m focused on in regards to Bryce this coming season.

Revshawn: Honestly, I don’t have any questions this week. I’d rather take this time to let everybody here know how much I appreciate you all. This is the best blog on the internet, Panthers or otherwise. It makes me happy that ya’ll are around. Thank you Brian and staff as well for being caretakers of this place.

Thanks Rev! Hopefully we can have some more positive vibes around this team sooner than later, but I took thank this community for being one of the most active SB Nation NFL sites. It takes a long time to grow a community like this one!

dayneb12: Will Zavala be a preseason cut? There can’t be any reason this dude makes the 53, right?

This coaching staff definitely doesn’t have any ties to Chandler Zavala, but he also had one good preseason game and one horrific preseason game. I wouldn’t be surprised if he got cut, but the Panthers do need the depth if they have belief in him still.

schrodingersblackcat: Another Final 53 related question: If you’re GM, what do you do with XL when there are so many WRs deserving of a roster spot?

This question gets much harder if Chris Brazzell isn’t sent to season ending IR. By my count there’s maybe 8 WRs who could make the final roster, so if the Panthers carry 7, that puts Xavier Legette, John Metchie, David Moore, and Jimmy Horn Jr at odds for those final spots. I think its more likely they move on from Metchie, Moore, or Horn before they let Legette go. They could try to trade him, but I just don’t see it at this juncture.

positivebob: Don’t hear too much about STs. Who’s looking good for KR and PR? Gunners, PP. Any ST aces out there?

Looks like Jimmy Horn Jr or Trevor Etienne will be primary returners, though somebody like Ja’Seem Reed could find his way ontou the roster as a returner. Brycen Tremayne is likely a roster lock for his work on special teams as well. I think Jackson Kuwatch could also find his way onto the roster with proper special teams play.

That’s all for this week, Panthers fans! Enjoy the Jaguars preseason game, and hopefully we’ll have some more positive things to talk about next week. KEEP POUNDING!