The Carolina Panthers have themselves one final dress rehearsal for the 2025 campaign on Thursday night, when the Pittsburgh Steelers come to town. And while we won’t see either team’s starters take the field at Bank of America Stadium, there’s still plenty to keep an eye on in this last exhibition matchup.

Here’s what to watch for in the Panthers’ preseason finale . . .

Calling the shots

Carolina’s first two preseason outings were rather clunky.

Outside of their lone touchdown drive from the opener, the team’s offense never hit a rhythm. Nearly half of their possessions (nine out of 20) have gone for three plays or fewer, including two that ended with interceptions.

The defense, while more impressive than the teammates on the other side of the ball, hasn’t been all too encouraging either. Their lackluster showing on the second offensive touch for the Houston Texans last Saturday—an 11-play, 60-yard touchdown trip—brought back flashes of the horrid 2024 unit.

As confirmed by head coach Dave Canales on Tuesday, offensive coordinator Brad Idzik called plays for the offense in those contests while the defense was led by defensive passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley in Week 1 and linebackers coach Pete Hansen in Week 2. This time, it’ll be the usual duo on the headsets—with Canales for the offense and defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero for the defense.

Will the ship now run at least a little more smoothly with the team’s regular shot-callers at the helm?

QB battle?

Unlike their play-callers, the Panthers won’t have such a familiar look under center. Starting quarterback Bryce Young and backup Andy Dalton, who is dealing with a muscle strain, are not expected to play.

That’ll leave the position to second-year passer Jack Plummer and the newly-signed Bryce Perkins, the reigning Most Valuable Player of the United Football League. So, can Perkins make an improbable run for the roster at the expense of Plummer?

Well, he just might. Plummer failed to turn heads (at least in a good way) during his extended action last weekend—where he threw for 5.9 yards per attempt and two interceptions over six possessions. Plus, Perkins isn’t exactly a dud, and has three years of NFL experience from the Los Angeles Rams and head coach Sean McVay.

Odds are, Plummer hangs on somehow—whether that be as a No. 3 QB on the initial roster or, more likely, as a practice-squad member. Canales and the Panthers are very much committed to running a developmental program, and the 25-year-old Plummer was one of their early projects.

But Perkins, even in these sudden circumstances, has a chance to audition for Carolina and the rest of the league.

Closing up competitions

To this point, just one of the team’s top summer battles has been decided—as Austin Corbett has captured the center position from Cade Mays. Thursday night, however, might go a long way in closing out the rest.

We could see the end of the kicking competition, which has pitted veteran journeyman Matthew Wright against undrafted rookie Ryan Fitzgerald. The latter, while listed as the backup on the depth chart, has gained some steam of late—thanks to his 52-yard field goal in Houston.

The race to start alongside safety Tre’von Moehrig may also be in the final stretch. Veteran Nick Scott, who has received some interesting praise from Canales, will try to fend off youngsters Demani Richardson and Lathan Ransom.

Plus, we’ll have to keep tabs on the more intriguing “bubble” players—including wide receiver Brycen Tremayne, inside linebacker Bam Martin-Scott and cornerback Michael Reid.

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