The Patriots claimed QB Matt Corral in a transaction with the Carolina Panthers in which they were awarded him off waivers.
Just days after backup QB Bailey Zappe and QB/WR Malik Cunningham were sent to the practice squad, Corral will become the backup QB on New England’s roster behind Mac Jones.
Corral, 24, is heading into his second season in the NFL. He played his college career at the University of Mississippi, tallying 8,281 passing yards and throwing for 57 touchdowns. In 2021, Corral was named Second-Team All SEC. In 2022, he was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third round, but ultimately missed his entire rookie season after suffering a foot injury against the Patriots during preseason.
The 6-foot-2, 205 pounder demonstrated tremendous potential during preseason, showing top notch decision-making and running abilities. According to CLNS Media’s Taylor Kyles, the pickup of Corral makes sense for the Patriots “given Zappe’s struggles processing and creating outside of structure this summer.” Corral’s processing and manipulation are two aspects of his game that he excels in.
The #Patriots claiming Matt Corral makes a lot of sense given Zappe's struggles processing and creating outside of structure this summer
Thought the former Panther showed flashes of exceptional processing, manipulation, decision-making, and running ability during the preseason pic.twitter.com/pdp31PFWi8
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) August 31, 2023
Assigning responsibility on negative plays can be tough in the preseason due to a lack of chemistry and reps. That said, Corral's accuracy seemed sporadic at times, largely bc of inconsistent footwork and struggles on the move
Also had a couple moments of poor pocket presence pic.twitter.com/jlC7kH1IFg
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) August 31, 2023
Corral was already seen practicing with the team and will wear number 19 for the Patriots. Footwork appears to be the one area of Matt Corral’s game that causes other issues, such as inaccuracy resulting in negative plays.
Assigning responsibility on negative plays can be tough in the preseason due to a lack of chemistry and reps. That said, Corral's accuracy seemed sporadic at times, largely bc of inconsistent footwork and struggles on the move
Also had a couple moments of poor pocket presence pic.twitter.com/jlC7kH1IFg
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) August 31, 2023
