The Patriots have added a second quarterback to their 53-man roster, claiming Matt Corral off waivers from the Panthers.
Corral was waived Wednesday, one day after the majority of roster cuts. He was selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Ole Miss and missed all of his rookie season with a Lisfranc injury suffered against the Patriots in the preseason.
Corral completed 59.6% of his passes this preseason for 249 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. He rushed four times for 47 yards. Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton beat out Corral for the Panthers’ backup quarterback job behind No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young.
The Patriots traded the third-round pick to the Panthers used to select Corral for a 2022 fourth-round pick and 2023 third-round pick. Quarterback Bailey Zappe and linebacker Marte Mapu were drafted with those selections.
Zappe was waived by the Patriots on Tuesday but re-signed with the practice squad Wednesday. Prior to claiming Corral, Mac Jones was the only quarterback on the Patriots’ 53-man roster.
Corral takes up the spot that opened up with wide receiver Tyquan Thornton heading to injured reserve.
The 24-year-old passer was voted second-team All-SEC in 2021. He completed 67.3% of his passes during his four-year college career for 8,281 yards with 57 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. He also rushed for 18 scores.
As a senior at Ole Miss, he completed 67.9% of his passes for 3,349 yards with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also rushed for 11 touchdowns. He was carted off with a leg injury in his final college game and didn’t work out prior to the 2022 NFL Draft.
Jones and Corral competed in a wild Alabama-Ole Miss game that saw the Crimson Tide beat the Rebels 63-48. Jones went 28-of-32 for 417 yards with two touchdowns in the win, while Corral completed 21-of-28 passes for 365 yards with two touchdowns.
It’s still unclear who will back up Jones in Week 1, since Corral still has to learn the Patriots’ offense. The Patriots could still make Corral inactive and elevate Zappe from the practice squad for the game. The team also has quarterback/wide receiver Malik Cunningham on their practice squad.
