Panthers News: Matt Corral, Frank Reich, Bryce Young and Amare Barno
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers QB Matt Corral's delight
While all the hype surrounded Bryce Young, this was a monumental occasion for another quarterback looking to get his career back on track. Matt Corral came in for the No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft after 11 offensive snaps and did well in difficult circumstances - especially considering how long he's been away from the field.
The former third-round pick out of Ole Miss completed 68.18 percent of his passes for 126 yards, no touchdowns, one interception, and a 63.8 passer rating. Corral was also sacked four times behind an offensive line that failed to meet expectations during a lousy display.
Although the result didn't go Corral's way, the signal-caller was pleased to be back out there after missing his entire rookie campaign. He's also eager to fix some mistakes based on comments via Augusta Stone from the team's website.
"It was night and day. I was anxious the first two snaps. But after that first series, finally getting back in the rhythm of things, I definitely missed that feeling of (I) may or may not get hit this rep; I'm live. I haven't played football, really since last August, and that's a long time. Note that's not an excuse for me making mistakes. I've got to do my job. But it's definitely – blessed to be out there and get on the field. (I'm) going to fix what was wrong, fix the mistakes."
- Matt Corral via Panthers.com
What this means for Corral's future remains to be seen. The Carolina Panthers could still take him through onto the 53-man roster as the No. 3 option, but a situation could also emerge where another team in need of quarterback depth comes calling with a trade offer.
Whichever way it goes, it was great to see Corral back after a long, hard road.