The Patriots have answered the question as to who would be Mac Jones’ backup in the upcoming season.
New England, who analysts thought was looking for a veteran quarterback, decided to go on a completely different route and incorporated Matt Corral into their 53-man roster on Thursday.
Matt Corral, the Patriots’ new backup QB
Corral, who is 24 years old, was claimed off waivers after the team placed Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham on the practice squad on Wednesday.
Matt arrives from the Carolina Panthers having completed 60% (28-47) of his passes during the team’s three preseason games. He threw for a total of 249 yards and ran for 47 yards. He also had an interception.
Corral was waived by the Panthers on Wednesday after spending only one season with the team.
In the 2022 preseason, Corral suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury that obliterated any chance for the young quarterback to showcase his skills with the team that drafted him with hopes of finding their new franchise quarterback.
Corral was destined to be a Patriot
Matt Corral was one of the standout quarterbacks heading into the 2022 NFL Draft and was even suggested as a first-round pick at one point.
The Ole Miss product ended up being the 94 overall pick in the third round. He was the fourth quarterback selected in the draft behind Malik Willis (TItans), Kenny Pickett (Steelers), Sam Howell (Commanders), and Desmond Ridder (Falcons).
This is where the story gets interesting because in order to pick him the Panthers traded up with New England.
The Patriots in exchange got their 4th-round pick, which they used to select… you guessed it, Bailey Zappe. The same player they released and resigned to their practice squad in order to bring in Corral.
In the deal, New England also got Carolina’s 3rd round pick in 2023 which they used to select linebacker Marte Mapu.
It will be interesting to see the quarterback competition under Bill Belichick. While the Patriots have put Corral above Zappe, they can still call him up to the active roster up to three times during the regular season if they need to.
The Patriots will begin their 2023 campaign on Sunday, September 10 at home against the returning NFC Champions, the Philadelphia Eagles.
