Panthers News: Justin Houston, Matt Corral, OL depth and Scott Fitterer
By Dean Jones
Which Carolina Panthers news stories are hitting the headlines as excitement grows heading into the first regular season game week of the 2023 campaign?
The Carolina Panthers are enjoying their last extended period of rest over the holiday weekend before things get serious. Week 1 is now firmly on the immediate horizon and for head coach Frank Reich, it's a chance to alleviate concerns after an 0-3 postseason record and doubts surfacing about depth in specific areas.
Until then, among the stories generating conversation include Carolina's offensive line depth, Scott Fitterer on his latest trade, Justin Houston's confidence, and Matt Corral almost landing on the Panthers' practice squad.
Let's delve into each topic in more detail.
One team claimed former Carolina Panthers QB Matt Corral
Just when it looked like the Carolina Panthers would be able to bring former third-round pick Matt Corral onto their practice squad, the New England Patriots had other ideas. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, it was a previous team employee who played a leading role in this scenario coming to fruition.
"The Patriots were the only team to put in a claim on QB Matt Corral. New England had great intel on him, given Bill O'Brien's relationship with Lane Kiffin, and having ex-Panthers VP Pat Stewart on staff. Pats execs Matt Groh and Eliot Wolf did a ton of work on him too in '22."
- Albert Breer via X/Twitter
All it takes is one team to like someone and it's evident there was a significant amount of groundwork laid in the event Carolina let Corral walk. As we've previously stated, this is the best-case scenario for the Ole Miss product in the hope of galvanizing his luckless start to life in the posts.