After a long, grueling offseason that has lasted around six months, the NFL is back.
The annual preseason Hall-of-Fame game in Canton, Ohio, will feature the Arizona Cardinals and the Carolina Panthers this Thursday at 8:00 PM ET on NBC.
The offseason included an exciting NFL draft, plenty of trades involving star players such as Myles Garrett and A.J. Brown, and a free-agency period that saw several key players switch teams - and it's not completely over yet.
Some teams are still figuring out who they want to start, and who the primary backup will be, at quarterback this season. Training camp and preseason games will help divvy up the QB depth chart, and the Arizona Cardinals will be one of those teams figuring out their order for the most important position in sports.
Of course, there are other positions worth watching throughout preseason. Both the Cards and the Panthers have young and talented players on both sides of the ball looking to make an early statement to their respective coaching staffs. Let's get into the players to watch in the inaugural game of the 2026 season:
Players to Watch: Cardinals vs. Panthers - HOF Game
Plenty of players, including No. 3 overall pick Jeremiyah Love and all of the Panthers' starters, have already been ruled out for Thursday night's game, but each team features an intriguing guy to watch:
QB Carson Beck - Cardinals
Arizona released longtime starting quarterback Kyler Murray after he could never quite get the Cardinals back to the playoffs and accumulated a 16-25 record since their Wild Card appearance in 2021. After he was injured in Week 5 last year and was ruled out for the rest of the season, Jacoby Brissett stepped in and played well.
Brissett will be QB1 for Arizona to open the season, but we may see a lot from 2026 third-round pick Carson Beck out of Georgia and Miami. The 24-year-old rookie will start the Hall-of-Fame game - and he should get a decent amount of run against a couple of Panthers' starters on defense.
Though he's just a third-rounder and doesn't have too many expectations in the league, he's played well throughout training camp and is starting to turn some heads in the Cardinals' organization. Beck threw an FBS-leading 24 interceptions over the course of his final two years in college, but he sees the middle of the field well, scrambles efficiently, and is somewhat accurate overall.
Beck is battling veteran QB Gardner Minshew II for the primary backup spot, and a good performance on Thursday would go a long way to securing that spot.
WR Ja'seem Reed - Panthers
Wide receivers Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker have established themselves as the clear No. 1 and No. 2 receiver on the team, but with Xavier Legette on his way towards becoming a bust, Carolina needs to find a reliable third receiver for Bryce Young.
That third receiver may come in the form of Ja'seem Reed - a 2025 undrafted prospect out of San Diego. He spent last year on the Cleveland Browns' practice squad and signed with Carolina in the offseason where he has emerged as an early summer standout.
The 6'2 receiver put up 1,052 yards and 12 touchdowns in his final season at San Diego and will get a big opportunity in the Hall-of-Fame game. Also, be sure to keep an eye out for Brycen Tremayne - another undrafted receiver who hauled in 14 receptions last year.
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