Patriots find their backup QB, claim former Panther Matt Corral off waivers
The New England Patriots won't go into the season without a backup quarterback.
The Patriots, unhappy with what they saw at quarterback in the preseason, released quarterbacks Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham, leaving them without a second quarterback on the active roster behind Mac Jones. They signed Zappe and Cunningham to the practice squad but that still didn't solve the issue.
The Patriots found their backup. They claimed Matt Corral off waivers according to multiple reports. Corral was cut by the Carolina Panthers, who have top overall pick Bryce Young as their new starter this season.
Corral was a third-round pick in 2022. In the preseason he suffered a Lisfranc foot injury, coincidentally against the Patriots, and was put on injured reserve. In the offseason, the Panthers drafted Young.
Corral was highly thought of my many draft analysts coming out of Ole Miss. He was considered a bit undersized, which is one reason he slipped a bit in the draft. During last year's draft, the Panthers traded the No. 137 pick overall and a third-round pick to the Patriots for the pick they used on Corral. Now the Patriots have Corral too.
Corral gets a new chance in New England. It's a strange method for building a quarterback depth chart, releasing everyone but the starter, signing two back to the practice squad and then claiming a new backup with no NFL experience, but that's the Patriots' plan.
