Carolina’s roster crunch is about to get real, and Haynes King might be the toughest call on the board.
The Panthers quarterback flashed big-time in his lone preseason appearance, but head coach Dave Canales made it clear Friday night that one electric outing may not be enough to secure a spot when the team trims down to 53 players by 6:00 p.m. ET on Sunday. Carolina beat the Houston Texans 16-13 in its preseason finale, and afterward Canales was asked about King, who hasn’t played since his standout showing in the Hall of Fame Game earlier this month.
“It makes it really difficult-because he had a great game, in the Hall of Fame Game," he stated of the evaluation process. "And I would've loved to have Haynes get some opportunities throughout the preseason and different situations-throwing him in there earlier in the game and seeing how he responds. We just don't have the benefit of having that available to us."
King, an undrafted free-agent pickup in the spring, made his preseason debut on Aug. 6 after coming in for Kenny Pickett. He lit up the Arizona Cardinals for 180 passing yards and three touchdowns, then sealed the 33-30 win with a 5-yard rushing score in walk-off fashion.
That finish came with a cost. King injured his hamstring on the game-clinching run and has been sidelined for the last three weeks.
Canales said King’s situation is only one piece of a crowded puzzle as the Panthers sort through the final decisions.
"Talk about AJ Dillon, who had a great camp," he said. "How do you keep three quarterbacks?
Four running backs? How do you keep all these No. 7 receivers, 8 receivers that we're talking about.
The loaded tight end room of guys that we trust. So, yeah, we got our work cut out for us in the next couple of days."
Canales also said he expects Carolina to start making cuts on Saturday.
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