CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A quarterback the Carolina Panthers once hoped to develop is now a project for another team.
The New England Patriots claimed Matt Corral off waivers on Thursday one day after he was released by the Panthers. Corral is one of two quarterbacks on the Patriots roster and will back up Mac Jones.
Carolina drafted Corral with a third-round pick in 2022 and hoped to develop him into a formidable backup who could be with the team for at least more than one season.
But Corral's first season with the Panthers was cut short when he suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason, ironically against the Patriots.
The Panthers shuffled through three starting quarterbacks in 2022 — Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, and PJ Walker — as Corral was sidelined. He likely would have seen some playing time if not for the injury.
Corral rebounded in the 2023 preseason and played adequately for a preseason backup, completing 28 of 47 passes for 249 yards. His efforts were decent enough to make the 53-man roster on Tuesday, but he was cut a day later as the Panthers claimed other teams' released players off waivers.
The Patriots cut quarterbacks Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham from the active roster on Tuesday, leaving just one signal-caller on the team. Zappe and Cunningham were later signed to New England's practice squad, though.
With Jones the only quarterback ahead of him, Corral could get his first regular-season action this season under center for the Patriots.
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