31 August 2023 , 22:06
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The New England Patriots claimed quarterback Matt Corral from waivers on Thursday after cutting backup Bailey Zappe from their active roster earlier this week. The Carolina Panthers had omitted Corral from their 53-man squad, hoping to send him to their practice team before Bill Belichick's organisation edged in front.
New England's release of Zappe (and third-string Malik Cunningham) was surprising after a record-breaking start to his career in limited action last year. Some people speculated they snubbed Zappe to bring more experience to the quarterback room. However, Corral is from Zappe's draft class and didn't appear in an NFL game as a rookie in 2022. Belichick has yet to explain why he favored the Ole Miss product.
Zappe made it through waivers, so he will be on the Patriots' practice squad to begin the season. Any team can sign him until he's on an active roster. The same will apply to Cunningham, who also went unclaimed.
Carolina's reasoning for letting Corral leave was more straightforward than how the Patriots managed their quarterbacks. Bryce Young is set in stone as the starter, and veteran Andy Dalton will offer guidance to the rookie as the backup. Corral never had a chance to be anything more than a third-string passer under head coach Frank Reich.
Still, Reich had wanted to stash Corral on his practice squad in case of an injury. The renowned developer of signal-callers claimed Corral's pre-season marked a vast improvement from last year. Corral completed 59.6 per cent of his pre-season passing attempts for 246 yards, no touchdowns and an interception in three appearances.
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"We're happy with the progress Matt made," Reich told reporters. "As we've talked about, the whole offseason - there's a lot of complexities, a lot of moving parts putting together a roster. Everybody understands that the sole motivation is to do what's best for the team. We're tryin' to get as many players on the roster, in that locker room, on the 53 and on the practice squad as we can that can help us win this year. Those are tough decisions.
"I don't mind saying I would love to get Matt back. We think he's done very well. Would like to see him continue to progress."
Matt Corral received Heisman votes at Ole Miss. (Getty Images)Corral finished seventh in Heisman voting at Ole Miss in 2021, throwing for 3,349 yards and 20 touchdowns to just five interceptions. He played in a Lane Kiffin system that encouraged creativity, and he ran for 614 yards in his final college football season. Leaving Carolina means he won't be able to link up in the NFL with Rebels teammate and gifted wide receiver Jonathan Mingo, whom the Panthers drafted this year.
But the 24-year-old has a more straightforward path to regular-season playing time in New England than he did with his previous organisation. Belichick briefly benched starter Mac Jones for Zappe in 2022. The coach reportedly didn't see eye-to-eye with the former first-rounder, though Jones said they communicated with respect to this summer. For now, Corral is next up if Jones falls out of favour.