Jackson Kuwatch’s NFL first comes with a stage few rookies ever get: the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio, just two days before Luke Kuechly goes into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
For the Panthers linebacker, Thursday night against the Arizona Cardinals at 8 p.m. is more than a preseason opener. It’s his debut, his chance to flash for Carolina, and a moment that ties together where he’s from, who he watched growing up and where he’s trying to go next. Kuwatch and Kuechly both come out of the Cincinnati area, and Kuwatch said he followed the Panthers legend closely as a kid.
“He was able to play so fast because he quite literally knew where the ball was going half the time,” Kuwatch recalled about Kuechly. “So, I think that’s one thing that I just respect so much and that’s why he was so fun to watch is because he was able to fly around because he’s so smart.”
Kuwatch has already been to the Hall of Fame before. During his time at Ohio State, the Buckeyes held a practice at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, and he and his teammates toured the place.
This trip is different. He’ll be in full pads, in a live game, with a real chance to start building his case for a spot on Carolina’s 53-man roster.
“I really want to show my ability to tackle, something that we don’t do in practice and something that I like to hang my hat on,” Kuwatch told The Charlotte Observer on Monday. “I feel like I did well in college, so I would say that would be the one thing, and certainly want to do well on special teams - show that I can fly around on special teams.”
That role matters for a rookie trying to survive the numbers game on game day, and head coach Dave Canales made that clear.
“That’s a huge opportunity for Jackson,” Canales said. “On the defensive side, but especially in that special teams role. As know, you only get a certain amount of guys on game day, so if you’re not out there with the starting group, you will be playing special teams.”
Kuwatch’s path to this moment wasn’t built on early college dominance. At first, the production wasn’t there; he didn’t clear 10 tackles in his first three seasons.
Then came a big final year at Miami (Ohio), when he piled up 109 tackles, including 10 for loss, and added five sacks. That surge pushed him onto NFL radars, and the Panthers took him 227th overall in the seventh round in April.
Since arriving in Charlotte in May, he’s been trying to absorb everything around him. Pro Bowl linebacker Devin Lloyd noticed the rookie’s curiosity and work ethic during the spring, and Kuwatch said Lloyd and Trevin Wallace have been open with him from the start.
“They’re super open,” Kuwatch said. “I can ask them whenever, whatever.
My first day I got here, they offered their help to me, which just shows the kind of people they are, the kind of teammates they are. Those two have been a great help to me.”
Canales said Kuwatch has looked strong in camp so far.
“He looks really good,” Canales said. “He’s big and he’s fast.
He’s smart, he’s taking to the concepts. Now, can he make it come alive in a live setting?
Get the guy down in space - another great opportunity for him. He’ll have multiple opportunities this preseason to show what he can do.”
Kuwatch got a taste of the atmosphere last week at Fan Fest at Bank of America Stadium, when his rookie class wore game-day gear on the field for the first time and heard the crowd.
“I had a lot of fun,” Kuwatch said. “It was cool being able to play in the stadium for the first time.”
Thursday should feel much closer to the real thing. His family will be in Canton for a weekend he called “kind of like a homecoming,” and he said he’s “ecstatic” and “Super excited.”
In the span of one weekend, one Cincinnati-area linebacker will watch a childhood idol take his place in Canton while beginning his own NFL journey there. For Kuwatch, the stage is set. Now he gets his first shot to show he belongs.
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