Locals in the NFL: Cardinals' Simi Fehoko among impact players in hall-of-fame kickoff

AROUND THE SHIELD — Simi Fehoko only had one catch on opening night of the 2026 NFL preseason Thursday night in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.

He sure made it count, though.

The former Brighton High standout was one of several Locals in the NFL to kick off the 2026 preseason, catching a five-yard touchdown pass in the first half of Arizona rookie Carson Beck's first NFL minutes, a 33-30 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

Fehoko came off his line in one-on-one coverage with 9:38 left in the first half before hauling in a dime for the former Miami quarterback's first touchdown of the NFL preseason in the corner of the end zone to give the Cardinals a 14-7 lead.

The fourth-year wide out who played in eight games last year mostly on special teams prior to an injury before signing a one-year deal to return to the Cardinals in March, made his case for inclusion in a wide receiver room that also includes Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson and Kendrick Bourne as projected starters.

"That was sweet. That was super fun," Beck said of the touchdown drive. "That was definitely a good drive. It's always good to see offenses do that; the big guys up front are tired, and to see them grind and be mentally tough to get that pay off is big kudos to them."

But the lead wouldn't last in the standalone game that doubles as the kickoff to the NFL preseason.

Former BYU and Utah State running back Miles Davis excelled for the Panthers, running for 53 yards on four carries.

That included a 36-yard spurt off the right tackle with 10:13 remaining, a run that helped set up Ryan Fitzgerald's go-ahead field goal from 37 yards out with 6:53 left on the clock.

The 5-foot-11, 215-pound rookie went undrafted after his lone season with the Aggies, when he ran for a career-high 731 yards and eight touchdowns with 5.6 yards per carry. That earned him a tryout with Carolina on May 17, and the Panthers signed him to an NFL contract a day later.

Former BYU quarterback Kedon Slovis helped rally the Cardinals in relief, connecting with Bryson Green on a 1-yard touchdown strike with 1:55 to put Arizona back in front, 30-27.

But former Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King rallied the Panthers inside of the two-minute drill, reaching over the goal line on a run from five yards out to give Carolina the 3-point win.

What other Locals in the NFL played in the Hall of Fame game?

Former Weber State defensive end Jonah Williams started for the Cardinals on Thursday, but did not record a tackle or other defensive statistics.

Former BYU and Bountiful High offensive lineman Brady Christensen started at left guard.

Slovis completed 9-of-10 passes for 106 yards with a touchdown for the Cardinals.

The Arizona native whose college career took him to USC and Pac-12 freshman of the year honors to a stop at Pitt before wrapping up with eight games in Provo entered the game in the middle of the third quarter in relief of Beck, the Cardinals third-round draft pick out of Miami.

Beck made his unofficial NFL debut to start, completed 15-of-19 passes for 188 yards and the aforementioned touchdown to Fehoko, posting a quarterback rating of 125.4.

"I thought the whole time, our offense was moving well," Beck told reporters postgame. "I thought we moved the ball well, the offensive line played really well, and guys were out there making plays, making contested catches, running backs fighting for yards.

"I thought overall, it was really clean."

Slovis, who dressed for Arizona in two games last year and played in one, completed his first two passes for 29 yards but also took a sack on his first drive to set up Chad Ryland's 43-yard field goal that gave the Cardinals a 20-17 lead with 4:42 left in the third.

The 25-year-old lifelong Cardinals fan is competing with Beck for what many expect to be third-string reps, behind experienced backup Gardner Minshew and journeyman starter Jacoby Brissett. The 33-year-old Brissett agreed to a reworked contract reportedly worth $15.5 million in guaranteed compensation and as much as $21 million, according to ESPN. That deal did not add more years to the two-year contract he signed in 2025, though Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur confirmed he's been taking reps with the first-team offense for most of training camp.

If Slovis doesn't make Arizona's final roster, he could have options across professional football. On Thursday, the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks added the quarterback to the team's exclusive negotiation list, according to 3 Down Nation. CFL teams can claim the rights of up to 45 players via the list, which gives them exclusive negotiating rights on a first-come, first-served basis for players who are not eligible for the league's Canadian or Global drafts and have not played in Canada before.

Players can also be added to, traded, or removed from the list at any time.

What Locals in the NFL did not play Thursday?

Tyler Allgeier did not play in Thursday's hall-of-fame game as the Cardinals look to establish a depth chart behind the former BYU running back and rookie first-rounder Jeremiyah Love out of Notre Dame.

Returning tailback James Conner is also expected to establish a spot on the depth chart, which leaves Trey Benson competing with the likes of Zonovan Knight — who ran for 60 yards on 12 carries — and Corey Kiner — the undrafted free agent out of Cincinnati who had 39 yards and a touchdown — competing for the depth spots.

Former Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd, who signed a three-year contract with the Panthers worth a reported $45 million in March, was active but did not play.

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