What's happened
The Panthers have added Kyle Trask as a backup option after Haynes King sustains a hamstring injury in the Hall of Fame Game. King is week-to-week, and Carolina is weighing another quarterback to back up Bryce Young and Kenny Pickett. Trask brings NFL experience and familiarity with Panthers OC Brad Idzik.
What's behind the headline?
Analysis
- The Panthers are prioritizing depth at quarterback after an injury scare in Canton. Trask's familiarity with Brad Idzik should ease any transition, but his limited game experience could slow immediate impact.
- King’s hamstring and week-to-week status creates urgency to stabilize the position before the preseason concludes.
- If Carolina signs another QB (Plummer or another veteran), the competition for the No. 3 role will intensify and could influence roster decisions ahead of final cuts.
How we got here
Carolina signed Trask after a Hall of Fame Game win over the Cardinals showed King in need of another quarterback option. King’s performance highlighted his potential as a developmental QB, while Trask’s prior time with Idzik in Tampa Bay informs the fit.
Our analysis
AP News reports that the Panthers are adding Kyle Trask after Haynes King’s hamstring injury. The report notes King is week to week and that Trask previously played for Idzik in Tampa Bay. The New York Times Business confirms King’s injury status and outlines potential options, including Jack Plummer and Trask, as Carolina explores depth at QB.
Go deeper
- Will the Panthers sign another quarterback to back up Bryce Young and Kenny Pickett?
- How soon will King be back to practice and what does that mean for roster decisions?
- Who else might Carolina pursue if Trask does not stick?
More on these topics
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Arizona Cardinals - American football team
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League as a member club of the National Football Conference West division.
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Carolina Panthers - American football team
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League, as a member club of the league's National Football Conference South division.
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Canton - City in Ohio
Canton is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio, United States. It is located approximately 60 miles south of Cleveland and 20 miles south of Akron in Northeast Ohio.
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Carson Beck - American football quarterback
Carson Raine Beck is an American football quarterback for the Miami Hurricanes. He previously played for the Georgia Bulldogs, where he was part of two national championships as a backup in 2021 and 2022.
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Bryce Young - American football quarterback
Bryce Christopher Young is an American football quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
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Georgia Tech - Public university in Atlanta, Georgia
The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia.
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Dave Canales - American football player and coach (born 1981)
David Aaron Canales (born May 7, 1981) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Azusa Pacific from 1999 to 2003. From 2004 to 2006, Canales started coaching high school football in his home state of California at his alma mater, Carson. Canales moved to the college ranks in 2007 as the special teams and tight ends coach at El Camino College. After helping El Camino to the SoCal Regional Semifinals in 2008, he moved to USC in 2009, where he was an assistant strength coach. From 2010 to 2022, he served as a longtime assistant coach with the Seattle Seahawks under Pete Carroll, working in multiple capacities on the offensive side of the ball. In 2023, Canales served as the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he helped guide them to the 2023 NFC South Divisional title, winning in the Wild Card Round against the Philadelphia Eagles before losing to the Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round. On January 25, 2024, Canales left the Buccaneers, signing a six-year contract to become the head coach of the Carolina Panthers.
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Kyle Trask - American football quarterback
Kyle Jacob Trask is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He played college football at Florida and was drafted by the Buccaneers in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft.