***more scouting/front office intel below***
The Patriots have added another quarterback to the roster, claiming Matt Corral, a 2022 third-round pick of the Carolina Panthers, off waivers. He is now on the team's 53-man roster (pending a physical) and has to stay there for at least three weeks. That doesn't preclude the team from elevating Bailey Zappe as Mac Jones' backup. They are allowed to do that three times while he's a practice squad member. Or, of course, just put Zappe on the 53 and go with three signal callers.
Carolina general manager Scott Fitterer and head coach Frank Reich were on the record in the last 24 hours saying they wanted Corral to remain with the organization, hoping he passed through waivers (sound familiar?)
"Matt's incredibly athletic," said Reich a few days ago. "He's got a really strong arm. He's worked as hard as anyone in the building. He spent a lot of time in this building. ... So happy with the progress he's made, and he's had a lot of snaps in the preseason, and he's done a good job."
An NFL exec who has scouted Corral told Greg Bedard that the 2nd year pro is: "Really talented, good arm, athletic. Pretty average build. Not very big. Coming off a foot injury."
Another told me of Corral: "Can handle the RPO game. Tough. Blossomed under (Lane) Kiffin. Bigger than Zappe but not big by QB standards. Oh, and don't forget, Bill O'Brien would have some intel of him as they crossed paths in the SEC (Corral played at Ole Miss)."
The foot injury (Lisfranc) Corral suffered came against the Pats in last year's preseason. He was highly thought of by the previous Carolina regime, drafted by Matt Rhule, and tutored by then-offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo.
Corral played in all three preseason games this summer, finishing 28-of-47 (59.6%) for 249 yards, no TDs, and one INT.
The Pats had signaled through certain media outlets that they were counting on Zappe to be their second QB. Still, I had reported otherwise, saying they were searching for another player at the position, though the team's first preference was a veteran. That didn't/hasn't materialized, and Corral offers some upside at the spot.
****UPDATE****
To Bedard from another NFL Exec: "Short...mobile. Lacks pocket awareness...quick release. Slower processor. Accuracy is average. Decent arm strength. Cali kid persona...great work ethic. Good kid off the field now...has matured. Relies too much on legs. Needs to work hard at winning from pocket. Too small to be a runner in this league."
Pro scout to me: "Way better fit for what the Patriots are trying to do under O'Brien, at least from what I could see in the preseason. Twitchy thrower. Can bring the velo(city). Decent feet. Jury is still out on whether or not he's an NFL quarterback, but I can tell you that the people in Carolina felt much better about how he progressed both on and off the field in the last year, as if the light went on and he realizes what he needs to do to stick in this league."