3 Carolina Panthers under pressure to perform in Preseason Week 2 at NY Giants
By Luke Gray
Matt Corral - Carolina Panthers QB
One can’t help but feel seriously sorry for Matt Corral. After his rookie season was curtailed by an injury suffered because his offensive line couldn’t block, his first home outing for the Carolina Panthers saw much of the same.
Despite entering the game relatively early, it was still a struggle for the protection to keep Corral upright. He was sacked four times during a tough afternoon.
Even though the offensive line play was weak, some criticism can be leveled at the player. In the now-viral clip of Cam Erving being bullied by Jermaine Johnson, you can see Corral staring down a wide-open Laviska Shenault Jr. The former Ole Miss man holds on to the ball too long and is sacked.
For someone with such a rapid-fire release, Corral must do a better job of getting the ball out quickly. Especially with an unreliable set of five protecting him.
With Andy Dalton missing the second preseason game and Young likely to only play in the first quarter, this once again gives Corral extended reps on the field. After missing his entire rookie campaign, he must make the most of these opportunities.
While the road for Corral to be the starter in Carolina is a tough one, he is potentially in the midst of a three-week audition to prove to not only the Panthers but the 31 other NFL teams he is worth having around. But time is now of the essence.