Game film analysis of two of Matt Corral's preseason games is included for BSJ members.
________________________
What the Patriots have done in the past week at quarterback — releasing backup Bailey Zappe, signing him back to the practice squad, and claiming Matt Corral of the Panthers — should tell you two things:
No. 1: Bill Belichick and Bill O'Brien are not 100 percent sold on Mac Jones as the franchise quarterback of this team.
That's not an indictment on Jones or his summer, where he showed some (not vast) improvement. This is just the reality of where he and they are. Only a Mac Loyalist would say he's definitely the guy moving forward. I'm with the Patriots. He has a chance ... could be the guy ... but you don't know until you know. And until then, you do what they did this past week which was ...
No. 2: Keep looking for potential Guys anywhere and everywhere.
Again, I'm on board with this. I've always firmly been in the Ron Wolf School of drafting or acquiring a quarterback every year or every other year. Either you stumble onto someone better than you have and you can flip the experienced player for a nice pick (Brett Favre to the Jets), or you can get something for QBs down your depth chart (Mark Brunell, Matt Hasselbeck - hell, they had Kurt Warner). You won't ever go poor developing QBs.
(By the way, please stop grouping Malik Cunningham in with the quarterbacks. He was never a quarterback this year for the Patriots at any point - even before the Corral claim. According to two team sources, Cunningham is a receiver first and foremost. He is very slowly being given some QB development - mostly for situational packages.)
But No. 2 should also give you a strong whiff of reality (if 23-25 hadn't done it) that the Patriots are just like every other team without a franchise quarterback — even those you laughed at in your division for many years.
For me, this is starting to look like the Dolphins teams I covered after Dan Marino. As much as I expected them to be the Packers (Favre to Aaron Rodgers) teams I also covered, for some unknown reason Belichick stopped trying to get the next guy ready again behind Brady at that position (and many others) after the Jimmy Garoppolo trade.
Jay Fielder was basically a little mix of Cam Newton (experience) and Mac Jones (safe, smart). Fielder led his first two teams — featuring a rock star defense — to 11-5 records and the playoffs (sound familiar?). When Fielder and the Dolphins missed the postseason the next year at 9-7 and third in the AFC East, Miami and, especially, GM Rick Spielman tried to find better by trading a second-round pick to the Eagles for A.J. Feeley. Fiedler (Dave Wannstedt's guy) beat out Feeley initially, they went back and forth, and then Wannstedt was fired and Nick Saban came in for two years.
The QB carousel then spun out of control: Trent Green, Gus Frerotte, Daunte Culpepper, Joey Harrington, Jon Beck, Cleo Lemon, Chad Pennington, Chad Henne and then finally Ryan Tannehill (sort of).
Do I expect this to get Lemon Level bad? Of course not (I also didn't think they'd be in this spot to begin with, but...). Does this mean Jones doesn't have a shot at being a franchise QB in their eyes or reality? Of course not. They really like him and think he'll have a good season.
All this means, for now, is that like any other position on the team, the Patriots have you graded out at a certain level. If they find someone available at the right price who is better than right now, they will replace you on the roster.
Corral is better than Zappe right now. And by claiming Corral, instead of just signing him as a free agent (Patriots were the only team to claim him), the Patriots inherited his third-round rookie contract through 2025 (Patriots took a $485,000 dead cap hit cutting Zappe, who was signed through '26).
(By the way, don't believe any of this nonsense that the Patriots' 2022 draft class, especially offensively, has started to go belly up because the Patriots decided to target players that fit Matt Patricia's "offensive system." That simply did not happen. Cole Strange fits any system and the Patriots needed a starting guard. Tyquan Thornton and Pierre Strong fit the bill to help up the offensive speed, Kevin Harris was a typical Patriots two-down back. Zappe was their type of QB - smart and experienced. Offensive linemen Chasen Hines and Andrew Stueber were the last two picks and obviously not good enough (Hines still has a chance).
Patricia didn't have a system, he didn't know what he was doing. And the Patriots are not dumb enough to draft his players — they have always picked players that fit their tight criteria. It's OK to say the Patriots just whiffed. Happens to the best of them. There doesn't need to be a reason. You don't have to build in an excuse for a 71-year-old coach/GM. In any event, Strange will be fine in time. We'll see about Thornton.)
So what are the Patriots getting in Corral? Let's start with some draft opinions (we passed along the current ones):
Scouting report at the time by Bob McGinn:
3. MATT CORRAL, Mississippi (6-1 ½, 215, no 40, 1-2): Fourth-year junior. “It’s the tale of two Corrals,” one scout said. “The first few years at Ole Miss he was an absolute (off-field mess). Then the back half he’s the greatest leader and the toughest guy they’ve ever had. (Ole Miss) Lane Kiffin called him the best quarterback in the country. He’s in a system where basically it’s all predetermined. He throws every ball on a line. He doesn’t have a lot of touch.” Started for 2 ½ years, finishing with a passer rating of 106.5. Hands were 9 5/8. “I’d rather have Corral than Willis,” another scout said. “There’s a body quickness that I like. He’s got a very fast release. I know the system bothers some people in terms of a lot of RPO, but there’s elements of that in the league. He can have some early success if he gets in an offense that allows him to throw it around the lot a little bit. He throws it well enough. I’m more worried about him getting hurt. He’s not a big dude.” Rushed 334 times in 37 games (27 starts), gained 1,338 (4.0) and scored 18 TDs. Departed his first high school in California and went elsewhere as a senior after getting into a physical altercation with the son of hockey great Wayne Gretzky. Wonderlic of 15 was the lowest among the top 12 at the position. “He has the biggest bust potential,” a third scout said. “By far. He’s got a lot of off-the-field shit. He’s little. He gets hurt a lot … He’s not as big of a dickhead as this guy was, but there’s a lot of Johnny Manziel to this guy. Party boy. The team likes him more than they respect who he is overall because he’s a baller on Saturday. I wouldn’t bet on that guy. He plays in a backyard football scheme and doesn’t have to do much mentally. He’s at the line of scrimmage with one read.” His speed was estimated by a scout at 4.82. From Ventura, Calif.
FILM ANALYSIS
CORRAL TAKEAWAYS
- Little small on film. But fine for a backup role at the least.
- Carolina, at least in the preseason, ran a very simple system - probably close to what Corral ran at Ole Miss under Lane Kiffin, but also Zappe in college. Very paint by numbers.
- There will be a lot of questions about whether he can do everything the Patriots want a QB to do at the line of scrimmage. This will be an undertaking for him. Seems smart enough on film, but his Wonderlic is a mild concern.
- Like his athletic ability, but it's not special. Arm is good, but not special.
- Has a good natural feel for the rush and pocket.
- Can get into trouble trying to be a hero to make a play against the rush.
- Doesn't throw with anticipation well enough.
- Tries to do the right thing from the pocket but you tell there's an inner wild buck waiting to get out - a little Manziel/Mayfield/Minshew.
- The bottom line is he's a better starting and backup prospect than Zappe. The Patriots should be in the business now of trying to improve the room by any means necessary. That doesn't mean Corral is definitely here long-term. Once they get him in the building and meeting rooms, they could decide he's not quite their type and sign Zappe from the practice squad. But Corral is worth the look.
- I would expect Zappe to be the backup to start the season as a promotion from the practice squad.
- I also wouldn't be surprised if the Patriots aren't still looking for a stable veteran backup. If they find one (Colt McCoy, Case Keenum) Corral would then be the third developmental QB. Since no other team claimed him, it's possible the Patriots release him at some point, sign him to the practice squad and release Zappe outright.