4 Carolina Panthers on the hot seat heading into 2023 offseason
By Dean Jones
Matt Corral – Carolina Panthers QB
The Carolina Panthers have two quarterbacks under contract in 2023. This will obviously change before preparations gather pace for the new season, which piles further pressure on Matt Corral heading into his second year with the franchise.
Corral endured a rough start to life with the Panthers after becoming their No. 94 overall selection via a trade-up during the 2022 NFL Draft. Complete mismanagement of the rookie’s reps in training camp by Matt Rhule made him an afterthought, which was followed by a significant Lisfranc foot injury that kept him out for the entire campaign.
The former Ole Miss stud is expected to make a full recovery in time for off-season workouts. However, it’s essential Corral hits the ground running with a coaching staff that has no emotional attachment to the player whatsoever.
Frank Reich knows what a good quarterback looks like. His presence should help Corral, but with the potential of a new college prospect and veteran bridge arriving, the margin for error is slim.
Corral has to make a strong impression all over again. Missing so much time last season won’t have helped his development, so the jury is still out as to whether or not he has any sort of sustainable future in Carolina.
What comes next is down to Corral. But he’s overcome adversity before and might be able to do so again.