2026 NFL preseason: Three things to watch for in Panthers-Cardinals Hall of Fame Game

Football returns on Thursday night with the arrival of the Hall of Fame Game.

Two days before Luke Kuechly and Larry Fitzgerald are enshrined into football immortality as part of the Class of 2026, their respective former teams, the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals, will battle at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.

Thursday night's preseason opener includes some fun historical nuggets. Carolina hasn't participated in the Hall of Fame Game since the Panthers first entered the league, beginning the franchise's history by taking on fellow expansion club Jacksonville in 1995 -- and coming away with a 20-14 win over the Jaguars.

Arizona, meanwhile, will be making its sixth appearance in the Hall of Fame Game and first since 2017. The Cardinals have posted a 1-3-1 record in the contest, owning the distinction of being one of two participants in the first-ever HOF Game. Then the St. Louis Cardinals, they played to a 21-21 tie with the New York Giants in 1962, more than a year before the Pro Football Hall of Fame opened to the public, as the game took place on the same day ground was broken for the building's original construction.

Thursday's matchup will include the debut of first-time head coach Mike LaFleur, who was hired to replace Jonathan Gannon in Arizona this past February. With Mike's brother, Matt, entering his eighth season as the Packers' head coach, the LaFleurs have become the second pair of siblings currently in charge of NFL teams, joining John (Giants) and Jim Harbaugh (Chargers).

Panthers coach Dave Canales, meanwhile, returns for his third season at the helm in Charlotte, having led Carolina to an 8-9 finish and NFC South crown in 2025.

Here are three things to watch for on Thursday night:

1) Banged-up Panthers face unexpected tests

Carolina has endured the most nightmarish start to the 2026 campaign of any NFL team thus far, losing second-year edge Nic Scourton to a torn ACL and rookie receiver Chris Brazzell II to a torn LCL during the first two weeks of camp. The Panthers are also operating without the likes of offensive tackles Taylor Moton (blood clots) and Ikem Ekwonu (patellar tendon surgery), as well as defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton (neck surgery), though all of their absences were anticipated before camp opened. Without these players, the Panthers have been forced to fill their lineup with figures who would have been deeper rotational options in an ideal scenario, potentially creating a situation where Carolina plays more current starters in the preseason than Canales may have anticipated a month ago.

Even if Canales keeps his new-look first string largely on the sideline -- quarterback Kenny Pickett will start in place of Bryce Young, for example -- this preseason should be more valuable for evaluation and preparation than usual.

2) New staff, new era for Cardinals

There's plenty to sort out for Arizona as the Cardinals take their first steps into a world now headlined by Mike LaFleur. Jacoby Brissett heads into this season with a reworked contract as the Cards' QB1, but the 33-year-old still feels like a bridge in Arizona's rebuild. Could that bridge eventually lead to third-round pick Carson Beck? The rookie is getting the start at quarterback on Thursday night. Can he make a good enough first impression to really begin to push eighth-year veteran Gardner Minshew for the QB2 job behind Brissett?

Meanwhile, Marvin Harrison Jr.'s role must increase if the former No. 4 overall pick is going to live up to the expectations that followed him from Ohio State. Rookie running back Jeremiyah Love brings big-play potential, but the No. 3 overall pick needs to find his footing in the NFL. Arizona's offensive line -- especially the right side -- will require some time to jell before the regular season begins.

Most importantly, the entirety of the Cardinals' offensive roster needs time to get comfortable in LaFleur's system. We aren't likely to see many snaps from Arizona's most important offensive contributors on Thursday night, but this will be the team's first opportunity to try out its new scheme in a live game. While preseason offenses are traditionally vanilla, we should get a peek at what LaFleur's attack will look like.​

3) Depth battles begin

While the Hall of Fame Game usually doesn't offer much in the way of quality reps for starters (save for Josh Jacobs with the Raiders in 2022), it presents an excellent initial opportunity for backups to claim understudy roles. Last year, quarterback Trey Lance's two-touchdown outing helped him take a firm grasp on the backup job behind Justin Herbert. Both starting quarterbacks in this year's game -- Pickett and Beck -- will have the same opportunity to strengthen their positions on their respective depth charts, but I'm also intrigued by the pass catchers in this contest, particularly on the Carolina side.

The Panthers still need to determine who their No. 3 receiver will be behind Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker. Former first-round pick Xavier Legette and veteran David Moore are the top two contenders for the role, and Moore's experience with Canales -- which dates back to their time shared in Seattle and Tampa Bay -- appears to have earned him an early advantage in Panthers camp. Could someone from deeper in the depth chart (e.g., Jimmy Horn Jr., John Metchie) make waves with more burn on Thursday night?

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