Could Haynes King Push Bryce Young for Panthers' QB1 Spot?

The Carolina Panthers are not entertaining a camp battle at quarterback. They're all in on Bryce Young for now. But if we're all being honest, there's been one quarterback who has looked the best this preseason, and it's UDFA Haynes King.

They've all played varying sample sizes and against varying levels of competition, but if we're strictly evaluating how they played in a vacuum, then King has outdone Young, Kenny Pickett, and Kyle Trask, none of whom have particularly struggled.

Could King ever push the Panthers, who don't yet have an answer at quarterback beyond 2027, Young's option year, to start?

Could Haynes King ever be the Panthers starter?

Carolina Panthers quarterback Haynes King (16) throws the ball against the Arizona Cardinals | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It was against the backups (and backups of the backups, to be truthful) for a team projected to nab the number one overall pick in the next draft, but Haynes King was electric in the Hall of Fame Game. And good football is good football.

We all began to fantasize about King's career that night. What could he be? Could the Panthers have found a true diamond in the rough? Couple that with a partly inauspicious preseason for Bryce Young, and there are legitimately some people wondering if the Panthers might be better off with King under center.

But, to be blunt, there's almost no chance King ever becomes a starting quarterback in the NFL. There have been five UDFA QBs who have gone on to be multi-year starters: Tony Romo, Warren Moon, Jeff Garcia, Dave Krieg, and Kurt Warner.

That's a good group of quarterbacks, but the odds are not in King's favor of joining them. There are a handful of undrafted quarterbacks every single year, and only five have ever been notable enough to start more than one season.

What King could do is become a good backup quarterback, and we believe that's his trajectory. It's a shame he has not been on the field since that Hall of Fame Game, but he showed enough to suggest that he could overtake Kenny Pickett, who's also been solid this preseason, as the primary backup.

The Panthers aren't, nor should they be, considering starting anyone else besides Young this year. That's partly because he's earned it and partly because it's pretty much the final year for evaluating the fourth-year QB.

But the Panthers do have an opportunity with King, even if he never starts. He could be a gadget player or a QB sneak option, as well as a good backup.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) looks on against the Jacksonville Jaguars | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Panthers have to roster him, though. They can't afford to lose King to another team if he lands on the practice squad, so they have to roster him. Then they can use him as the primary backup if he outplays Pickett or in 2027, when Pickett hits free agency.

No, King isn't better than nor should he start over Young, but he absolutely deserves a spot on the roster.

Add us as a preferred source on Google