CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Panthers are using Kenny Pickett as the first test case for Brad Idzik’s next step.
With Carolina exploring Idzik as its primary offensive playcaller in 2026, the backup quarterback will be the one to feel out how the coordinator handles an actual game possession. Pickett gets that assignment Thursday in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game against the Arizona Cardinals, and with Bryce Young and most of the other first-team players not expected to suit up in Canton, Ohio, he’ll get the start.
That setup gives Idzik another preseason chance to work through live playcalling before the regular season arrives. He has handled some preseason duties over the past two years, but he has not yet called a regular-season drive. This summer’s four exhibition games make the opener especially useful as a chance to see what fits him in-game and what doesn’t.
Pickett, who worked with Idzik throughout the offseason program, said after Tuesday’s practice that the two already have a comfort level.
“I wouldn't, if I didn't know, you know?" Pickett said after Tuesday's practice. "Preseason games were awesome for everybody to kind of get that feel back in the stadium, playing, you know, real football."
Pickett is expected to take the first few series before handing things over to Haynes King, the undrafted rookie who said he is eager for his first NFL action.
"Just to go out there and to do it with the guys that I was working (with), whether it was training camp, OTAs, all that stuff. To finally go out there in a game setting, it's going to be pretty exciting."
King, a dual-threat standout at Georgia Tech, was the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and piled up a program-record 3.920 total yards. The Panthers made him a priority after the April draft and signed him for a guaranteed $250,000. He sits firmly as the No. 3 quarterback, and Carolina has been content to keep the room at three.
Tuesday’s practice also had a sharper edge than Dave Canales wanted. The Panthers coach stopped the early tempo to deliver a message after the first drill.
"The first drill, I just really wasn't happy," Canales said. "We can chase better.
We can cover down better. We have a standard.
The players have a standard.
"When they're not picking it up and talking to each other, it's my job to make sure that we just get it back on track."
The intensity carried over later when tight end Feleipe Franks and cornerback Mike Jackson got into a fight during drills. Jackson tossed Franks’ helmet across the practice field behind Bank of America Stadium in the middle of the scuffle.
Canales stopped things again and told the team to settle down and get back to the right approach.
"I told them to calm down," Canales said. "I want them to refocus.
I don't want guys relaxed. I want them engaged.
It's two different feelings.
"You can't play this game calm. This game is meant to be played at a high clip, with intensity and great focus. If we can have that type of engagement and focus, that's what we're looking for."
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