Patriots Reportedly Only Team That Tried To Claim QB Matt Corral

Matt Corral apparently didn’t generate much interest after his release from the Carolina Panthers.

In fact, the Patriots were the only team that submitted a claim for the 24-year-old quarterback, according to a Friday report from Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. New England on Thursday signed Corral just two days after waiving backup quarterback Bailey Zappe, who cleared waivers and returned to the practice squad.

Corral, who played his college ball at Ole Miss, now is the only quarterback behind Mac Jones on the Patriots’ 53-man roster.

“New England had great intel on him,” Breer wrote on the X platform, given Bill O’Brien’s relationship with (Ole Miss head coach) Lane Kiffin, and having ex-Panthers VP Pat Stewart on staff. Pats execs Matt Groh and Eliot Wolf did a ton of work on him too in ’22.”

It’s worth mentioning that minimal interest on waivers isn’t necessarily a poor reflection on Corral. Teams must place a claimed player on their 53-man roster, and most clubs by that time had their quarterback rooms straightened out. The Patriots were in a unique position after waiving Zappe, who previously appeared locked in as their backup quarterback.

Carolina selected Corral in the third round (94th overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft. He suffered a serious foot injury last summer during a preseason game against the Patriots and missed his entire rookie campaign.

The Panthers pivoted during the offseason, selecting Alabama quarterback Bryce Young with the first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. They also signed veteran Andy Dalton, who won the backup quarterback job during training camp.

Now, Corral reportedly will compete with Zappe for the right to be Jones’ top backup in New England.