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Matt Corral

Latest On Bailey Zappe, Patriots QB2 Situation

September 2nd, 2023 at 8:54am CST by Ben Levine

When the Patriots’ 2022 season ended unceremoniously, some pundits wondered if 2022 fourth-round quarterback Bailey Zappe could battle 2021 first-round pick Mac Jones for the starting gig. Now, heading into the regular season, it’s uncertain if Zappe is even set to be New England’s QB2.

[RELATED: Patriots Claim QB Matt Corral]

Zappe was a surprise cut by the Patriots on deadline day, but he ended up landing back with the practice squad. The team has since added former third-round pick Matt Corral to the mix, muddying the QB picture behind Jones. As Albert Breer of SI.com writes, Zappe’s preseason struggles and apparent misfit with Bill O’Brien‘s new offense ultimately led to the quarterback’s placement on the practice squad.

For all their warts, Matt Patricia and Joe Judge actually helped Zappe become acclimated to the NFL by having him play in an offense that resembled his collegiate system from Western Kentucky. The rookie won both of his two starts last season, completing 70.7 percent of his passes for 781 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions. Jones, meanwhile, played to a 6-8 record while completing 65.2 percent of his passes for 14 touchdowns vs. 11 interceptions.

Zappe seemed prime to push Jones for the starting job in 2023. However, as Breer notes, O’Brien’s new offense better leverages the starter’s strengths, and that system doesn’t necessarily fit Zappe’s play style. The second-year QB proceeded to struggle during the preseason, and with a handful of roster-worthy players eligible for IR, the Patriots succeeded in sneaking him through waivers and signing him to the taxi squad (the team took a similar path with UDFA Malik Cunningham, who impressed during the preseason at both quarterback and wide receiver).

New England’s recent waiver wire claim of Corral doesn’t necessarily mean that Zappe has been demoted to QB3, however. Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald believes Zappe will be the QB2 (via practice squad elevation) to begin the season. The incumbent backup already has a head start on understanding the offense (even if it doesn’t fit his strengths), and the organization would only had around two weeks to catch their newcomer up to speed. Both Zappe and Corral will likely battle it out in practice to determine who’d be the replacement in the event of a Jones injury.

Patriots Claim QB Matt Corral

August 31st, 2023 at 9:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Panthers had expressed interest in bringing Matt Corral back via a practice squad invite, but they took a risk by waiving the former third-round pick. The Patriots will prevent a quick Carolina-Corral reunion from taking place.

New England put in a successful waiver claim for Corral on Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Corral will join an interestingly constructed quarterback room. The Pats now have two QBs on their active roster — Corral and Mac Jones — and two more on their practice squad (Bailey Zappe, Malik Cunningham).

Although the Pats had been connected to wanting a veteran — perhaps Colt McCoy — to be Jones’ backup, Corral is now in that position. Considering Corral missed all of his rookie season and was viewed as a developmental player after last year’s draft, the Ole Miss product might not be New England’s true QB2 in Week 1. But the Pats thought enough of him to use a roster spot via this claim.

Corral spent all of last season on Carolina’s IR, suffering a Lisfranc injury during the preseason. He underwent surgery, but upon recovering, the Panthers had revamped their QB room. Carolina gave up plenty of assets to move from No. 9 to No. 1, via the Bears, for Bryce Young. The team gave Andy Dalton a two-year deal, featuring the largest QB2 guarantee this offseason ($8MM), to mentor the young prospect. Frank Reich spoke highly of Corral’s development, as he aimed to keep him on the taxi squad, but the second-year passer will pack his bags for Foxborough.

The Patriots were the team that allowed the Panthers to move up for Corral in last year’s third round, collecting an additional third-rounder (in 2023) to give up 2022’s No. 94 overall pick. The Carolina selection became No. 76 this year, and the Patriots took promising defender Marte Mapu. Corral also suffered his foot injury during a preseason game at Gillette Stadium last August.

Corral was the last of the third-round QBs chosen last year. He, Desmond Ridder and Malik Willis generated buzz about going much higher than they did, but the draft hit a signal-caller lull after Kenny Pickett went off the board at No. 20. Corral was developing behind Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold when he went down. With P.J. Walker also on the Browns’ practice squad, all four of the Panthers’ QBs from last season are now elsewhere.

New England now has two QBs from the 2022 draft in the mix, though Zappe’s stock has fallen a bit since he generated buzz about competing with Jones. While Corral’s 2021 stats did not measure up to Zappe’s record-setting Western Kentucky numbers, he excelled in the SEC. He averaged 10.2 yards per attempt in 2020, targeting the likes of Elijah Moore and Jonathan Mingo, and posted a 20-5 TD-INT ratio in 2021. Three years remain on the 24-year-old passer’s rookie contract; he is due an $870K base salary this season.

Panthers Waive QB Matt Corral

August 30th, 2023 at 2:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

2:40pm: Being impressed with the progress Corral made, Reich said he would like to bring Corral back on a practice squad deal (via ESPN’s David Newton). Corral must clear waivers, which will process Thursday afternoon, in order for Corral to become available on a P-squad pact.

1:10pm: Matt Corral made the Panthers’ 53-man roster, but the team will move him off the roster to make room for an addition elsewhere. Carolina is waiving the former third-round pick, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com report.

This move comes after Corral missed all of his rookie season. Many things Panthers have changed since they traded up for Corral last year. Frank Reich is now in place as head coach, and the team is rolling with a Bryce Young–Andy Dalton depth chart.

The Panthers claimed three players Wednesday — tackle Calvin Throckmorton, linebacker Claudin Cherelus, cornerback D’Shawn Jamison — and used Corral’s roster spot to make room. Carolina also waived wide receiver Derek Wright and linebacker Chandler Wooten. The team announced the moves.

After a Lisfranc injury last year, Corral recovered and played during Carolina’s preseason slate. He completed 28 of 47 passes for 249 yards, throwing no touchdown passes and an interception. The Panthers have moved on from many Matt Rhule-era players, partially evidenced by only one Temple alum remaining on the team, and they will jettison Corral.

It is possible Corral could return on a practice squad agreement, but the team dangled the Day 2 draftee in trades in March. Three years remain on Corral’s rookie contract. A team claiming the QB would have him tied to an $870K base salary this season. Corral’s rookie deal does not include a base salary north of $1MM until 2025. The deal only contained $884K guaranteed.

Unless a P-squad spot is offered, this marks an abrupt end to Corral’s Panthers run. The GM who traded up for Corral (under Rhule), Scott Fitterer, remains in place. The 2022 draft will also see two more of its maligned QBs — Desmond Ridder (Round 3) and Sam Howell (Round 5) — join Kenny Pickett as full-time starters to open the season. While Malik Willis‘ rookie-year form showed a sizable gap to bridge before he can be considered a starter-caliber passer, Corral has dropped well below his peers early in his career.

Matt Corral Likely To Get Majority Of Panthers’ Preseason Snaps

July 16th, 2023 at 8:26am CST by Rory Parks

Although new Panthers head coach Frank Reich has yet to officially declare Bryce Young — the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft — his team’s starting quarterback, there is every expectation that Young will be under center when Carolina takes the field against the Falcons in Week 1. The fact that Young began taking full first-team reps towards the end of OTAs only reinforces that belief.

Veteran Andy Dalton, who signed with the club in March, will presumably serve as Young’s backup. At this stage of his career, Dalton has nothing to gain by playing in the Panthers’ preseason slate, and the team has everything to lose by deploying Young in the preseason. That leaves 2022 third-rounder Matt Corral as the most likely candidate to see the bulk of Carolina’s preseason snaps, as Joseph Person of The Athletic writes (subscription required).

Corral, part of a much-maligned draft class of quarterbacks in 2022, may have already missed his best opportunity to show what he can do in meaningful NFL contests. Given the injuries and underwhelming play that plagued the Panthers’ QB depth chart in 2022, Corral almost certainly would have had the opportunity to take regular season snaps if not for a preseason Lisfranc injury that ended his rookie campaign before it started. Now, with his already limited window to become the Panthers’ franchise signal-caller having been closed by the selection of Young, Corral will want to generate as much good film as he can in the upcoming preseason.

There was already trade chatter surrounding Corral this offseason, though the cost to acquire him at this point would obviously be low in light of last year’s developments. Corral is also reportedly content to remain with the Panthers for the time being since Reich, a renowned QB mentor, is now the head coach. Still, the Ole Miss product may welcome a move to a team that offers him at least some semblance of upward mobility, and Carolina GM Scott Fitterer would be happy to recoup some value for his third-round investment. A strong preseason showing for Corral could therefore be beneficial for both player and team, so it stands to reason that he would get plenty of burn in August’s exhibition contests.

Corral suffered the above-referenced Lisfranc injury during the Panthers’ second preseason game in 2022. Over his two preseason appearances, he completed just 10 of 24 passes for 69 yards, though he earned second-team All-SEC honors during his final collegiate season in 2022, having thrown 20 touchdowns against five interceptions while adding another 11 TDs on the ground.

At present, Young, Dalton, and Corral are the only three quarterbacks on Carolina’s roster.

Latest On QB Bryce Young, Panthers’ Offense

May 27th, 2023 at 3:02pm CST by Ely Allen

The Panthers traded up and drafted Alabama’s Bryce Young No. 1 overall with the intention that he would be the team’s new starter at quarterback. Yet during organized team activities, head coach Frank Reich had presumed backup Andy Dalton running with the starters. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, this isn’t necessarily indicative of the true depth chart but more a practice in efficiency.

Of course, as a coach, you prefer not to hand Young the starting job on a silver platter. You’d rather he “earn” the job by performing better than the other quarterbacks on the depth chart. But expecting a rookie to be better prepared for an entirely new system, when veterans have mostly been at the facilities for five weeks now, is unrealistic.

As a head coach new to his team, Reich is intent on establishing his operation at an optimal, functional level. This early into Young’s tenure, he’s just not prepared enough to run the Panthers’ system to the level that Dalton can. Does this mean that Dalton would forever run with the first string? Likely, not. But until Young is up to speed and ready to efficiently run with the ones, having Dalton behind center has been the best way to implement Reich’s operation. In fact, a week after Breer’s report, David Newton of ESPN reported that, while Dalton is still taking the first snaps with the first team, Young is getting more overall snaps with the first string, indicating the progress that we expect from the top overall draft pick.

The system that’s being implemented is designed for Young, anyway. According to a different report from Newton, Reich is allowing new, first-time NFL offensive coordinator Thomas Brown to design a spread-formation system that meshes some of what Brown learned under Sean McVay in Los Angeles and what Reich ran with the Colts. Brown is building the offense with Young in mind, claiming that he doesn’t want to take away Young’s “superpower.”

Lastly, with Dalton and Young likely cemented in the first two slots of the depth chart, there were rumblings that last year’s third-round pick, Matt Corral, was on the trading block, and perhaps that he wanted to go. The most recent reports from this week, according to Panthers staff writer Darin Gantt, indicate that Corral no longer desires an exit. Corral “made it clear (to the media that) he doesn’t want to be traded,” listing playing for Reich as a major reason for staying.

Panthers Willing To Trade QB Matt Corral?

March 13th, 2023 at 6:55pm CST by Ben Levine

The Panthers are expected to use their newly acquired first-overall pick on a quarterback, meaning their young signal-callers could be available via trade. According to NFL Network’s Mike Giardi (on Twitter), the Panthers would consider moving Matt Corral in a trade.

[RELATED: Bears-Panthers Trade Fallout: Timeline, QB Plans, Moore]

The Ole Miss product was selected in the third round of the 2022 draft, with the Panthers intending to bring him along slowly while hoping that one of their veterans could provide at least a season-plus of production. Neither Sam Darnold nor Baker Mayfield ended up working out for the organization, and the Panthers also made it clear that P.J. Walker wasn’t in their plans.

Even with the inconsistent QB depth chart, the Panthers were unable to get a look at their rookie, as Corral suffered a preseason Lisfranc injury that knocked him out for the season. The team could have repeated their plan in 2023 by pairing the young QB with one or two veterans, but the organization instead decided to go all-in with the first-overall pick. While it remains to be seen who will ultimately be selected, it’s clear that the Panthers will hand that unknown rookie QB the keys to the offense.

Considering Corral’s college resume, a team would surely make a run at the QB. He earned second-team All-SEC honors in 2021 after finishing with 20 touchdowns vs. five interceptions while adding another 11 touchdowns on the ground. Per Giardi, the cost wouldn’t be high to acquire the QB, and it’s unlikely the Panthers will be able to recoup their third-round investment.

Panthers To Place Sam Darnold On IR

September 1st, 2022 at 11:19am CST by Sam Robinson

Not long after losing a quarterback competition to Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold suffered a high ankle sprain. He is expected to be out up to six weeks. He will be off the Panthers’ active roster for much of that stretch.

Carolina is placing Darnold on IR, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets. Darnold will be sidelined for the team’s first four games. Following that, he is expected to re-emerge as Mayfield’s primary backup. This move opens up a roster spot for kicker Eddy Pineiro, who agreed to terms with the Panthers on Wednesday.

For now, P.J. Walker will play that role. The Panthers are not planning to pursue an upgrade on their backup of the past two seasons, according to Person (subscription required). While Walker was staring at the prospect of being cut earlier in camp, when the Panthers had Darnold and Matt Corral healthy, injuries have worked in the former XFL 2.0 standout’s favor. Corral underwent surgery to repair his Lisfranc injury this week, per GM Scott Fitterer. The rookie third-rounder is on season-ending IR.

This represents another bad break for Darnold, who suffered a significant shoulder injury last season. That malady prompted the Panthers to reunite with Cam Newton. This year, the team traded a conditional fifth-round pick for Mayfield, who had beaten out Darnold before his latest injury. Darnold, however, remains attached to a higher salary than Carolina’s new starter, who took a pay cut off his fifth-year option salary to facilitate a trade from Cleveland.

Darnold, 25, will go through a fifth straight season missing at least three games. He will be down at least four this year — in terms of suiting up; he may not participate in other games — but the ex-Jets starter also battled shoulder trouble in 2020, contracted mononucleosis in 2019 and suffered a foot sprain as a rookie. The former USC star entered this season having missed 10 career games.

NFC South Notes: Panthers, Bucs, Davidson

August 24th, 2022 at 1:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

Matt Corral landed on the Panthers’ IR Tuesday, ending his rookie season before it started. The Lisfranc injury the third-round pick suffered will require surgery, Matt Rhule said. The Panthers had planned to carry Corral as their third-string quarterback during what was to be a developmental year, with the team wanting him to add muscle to his 205-pound frame and obviously learn a pro-style offense, per Joe Person of The Athletic. Because of Corral’s injury, the Panthers’ roster math may change. The team may no longer be preparing to carry three quarterbacks, Person notes (subscription required). This news would pertain to P.J. Walker, the former XFL 2.0 standout who has been Carolina’s backup the past two seasons. Walker, who has won both his regular-season starts but holds a career 51.6 passer rating, struggled in the Panthers’ second preseason game. The 27-year-old passer could be stashed on the practice squad — behind starter Baker Mayfield and backup Sam Darnold — if he clears waivers in the event of a cut before next week’s deadline.

Here is the latest from the NFC South:

  • Shifting to the division’s most famous quarterback, Tom Brady is now back with the Buccaneers. The all-time great missed nearly two weeks of training camp. Family time has circulated as the reasoning behind Brady’s absence, which coincidentally occurred while the team held joint practices against the Dolphins, and Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com notes Brady and wife Gisele Bundchen spent time at an exclusive Bahamas resort. Not a bad arrangement, though not many players could swing such a mid-camp trip. Brady has not taken questions since the Dolphins scandal broke, but he is back practicing with the Bucs.
  • During Brady’s time away, the Bucs lost another potential O-line starter. Aaron Stinnie‘s ACL and MCL tears add to a lengthy list of changes to Tampa Bay’s interior O-line. Ali Marpet retired, Alex Cappa signed with the Bengals, and Ryan Jensen suffered what may be a season-ending injury. Jensen, however, may have a late-season return window. The Bucs are not planning to place their starting center on IR, with Albert Breer of SI.com noting the veteran blocker’s “complicated” injury could have him available for the playoffs. For now, the team will keep that door open. That would mean carrying Jensen onto the 53-man roster and then placing him on IR.
  • For now, the Bucs have 2021 third-round pick Robert Hainsey (31 offensive snaps last season) at center and would have either second-round rookie Luke Goedeke or former UDFA Nick Leverett (two career games; zero starts) at left guard opposite Shaq Mason. Goedeke would be the likely in-house solution, Greg Auman of The Athletic notes. Hainsey, who was working at guard earlier this offseason, is unlikely to be moved off his new center post, Auman adds. This would point to the Bucs, if they feel the need arises, looking at the guard market for a veteran. Ereck Flowers, Quinton Spain and James Carpenter are among the top options.
  • While the Bucs are not believed to be actively searching, the loss of two veteran blockers could be rather important in what could be Brady’s final season. The Ravens could be a trade option, Auman offers, holding a potential guard surplus featuring Tyre Phillips, Ben Cleveland and Ben Powers. The team is unlikely to keep all three.
  • Falcons defensive tackle Marlon Davidson underwent arthroscopic knee surgery recently, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes. The team had hoped Davidson, a 2020 second-round pick, would push Ta’Quon Graham to start opposite Grady Jarrett in the team’s 3-4 scheme. Graham, a 2021 fifth-rounder who started five games last season, is now in the lead. Despite his draft pedigree, Davidson has started just one game.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/23/22

August 23rd, 2022 at 4:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tuesday marked the day teams were forced to cut down from 85 to 80 players. Here are the moves teams made made to reach the new maximum. Players who land on the reserve/PUP or reserve/NFI list must miss at least the first four regular-season games.

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Panthers’ Matt Corral Suffers Lisfranc Injury

August 20th, 2022 at 4:02pm CST by Ben Levine

4:02pm: The rookie passer was not expected to vie for the starting job this season, but it is possible he will not be healthy enough to play in 2022. Corral’s foot injury is of the troublesome Lisfranc variety, Matt Rhule said Saturday, calling it “significant,” Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Early indications are it will be a season-ending malady.

9:28am: Matt Corral exited last night’s preseason contest against the Patriots with a foot injury. Joe Person of The Athletic tweets that the rookie quarterback underwent X-rays after having his foot stepped on. ESPN’s Davis Newton tweets that Corral was seen leaving the stadium in a walking boot, which is “not a good sign.”

In his second professional game, Corral looked a bit more polished than his debut (when he completed only one of nine pass attempts). While alternating quarters with PJ Walker, the rookie ended up completing nine of his 15 attempts for 58 yards, although he didn’t guide the Panthers to a touchdown while he was under center. The QB also added six yards on three carries. Coach Matt Rhule explained that he wanted his rook to play against New England’s starters and backups, an experience that he described as invaluable.

“What we don’t want to do is come out (in) these games and make it easy on him, because he’s a two [or] he’s a three,” Rhule said (via the team’s website). “We want to give them opportunities to show, ‘Hey, I can play for you.’ So (we are) preparing them for their opportunity. I thought Matt did a lot of good things, and there’s a lot to learn from on the tape.”

Corral earned second-team All-SEC honors in 2021 after completing 67.9 percent of his passes for 20 touchdowns vs. five interceptions. He also added another 614 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. Thanks to this performance, the Panthers selected the Ole Miss product in the third round of this year’s draft, making him the 4th QB off the board.

Considering his draft status, Corral was expected to slide in third on the Panthers depth chart behind some combination of Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold. However, if Corral’s injury ends up being serious, this could open the door for Walker to make the roster as a QB3.

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