Panthers will play starters vs. Bills in preseason finale

The Buffalo Bills and Carolina Panthers will finish out their 2024 preseason campaigns in an opposite manner, similar to the way the rest of their exhibition seasons have gone.

Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott already announced that he will sit his team’s starters in their final preseason outing on Saturday against the Panthers.

On the flip side, Carolina head coach Dave Canales has taken the opposite stance. Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, the No. 1 selection at the 2023 NFL draft, will play with the rest of the team’s starters.

“My hope is to get the starters out there early in the game, get them some exposure,” Canales said Thursday. “The importance of it to me is how valuable the night before prep is, waking up in the morning — we have a one o’clock kickoff, and we have a lot of those the year — so just the body readiness.”

The word “hope” indicates Carolina will most likely have their first teamers on the field, pending weather or other outside factors.

Regarding the Bills, their hand has been forced a bit. McDermott noted earlier this week that he will not feature his starters because of a growing injury list the team has endured during the preseason and training camp.

Perhaps that’s the reason why the upcoming preseason finale will be the first time Carolina will play their starters this preseason. The first two matchups on their slate they did not, meanwhile, Buffalo did.

Bills Wire will provide all updates leading up to the contest.