Panthers-Browns matchup among best 2025 NFL preseason games to watch

Rest easy, NFL fans. This is the final weekend without any football games that we'll be subject to until after the Super Bowl in February. On Thursday night the Los Angeles Chargers and the Detroit Lions will kick off the 2025 preseason with the annual Hall of Fame game, then the rest of the league will get going the following weekend.

As for the Carolina Panthers, they are slated to host the Cleveland Browns in their first preseason contest on Friday, August 8 at Bank of America Stadium. This has been named the best preseason matchup to watch by Joshua Watt at NFL Spin Zone.

Panthers-Browns named top preseason matchup

"This matchup is all about quarterback first looks. The Browns will be letting rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders get a ton of reps to see if they can separate themselves in a crowded QB room. On the other side, Bryce Young will likely go out for a drive or two, and this will give fans a sneak peek to his year three progress. Plus, we get our first look at rookie wideout Tetairoa McMillan. Expect both teams to give a good effort and give their quarterbacks some time to shine."

Jul 24, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) catches a pass during training camp. | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

We should definitely see a lot of Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. However, we would be surprised if Bryce Young sees the field in this game. Last year, head coach Dave Canales only wound up playing Young one drive in the final preseason game against Buffalo after claiming Young wouldn't play at all during the presason.

Last year there was good reason to play Young as he needed to get into a rhythm - and the atrocious performances he put on during Weeks 1-2 prove that he should have gotten more reps in August.

However, this year it's a totally different story. Young played very well down the stretch and looks to be nothing like the QB we saw his rookie year and early in 2024. Additionally, almost all of the hopes for Carolina to take a step forward this year depend on Young staying healthy and continuing the development we saw in the second half of the 2024 season.

With rookie QB Ethan Garbers having been waived earlier this week, Panthers fans should expect to see a little bit of Andy Dalton and a whole lot of Jack Plummer at quarterback, at least for this first game against the Browns.

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