All the attention in Carolina may well be on the 'QB battle' between former first round picks Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, and many have glossed over the fact that the Panthers drafted Ole Miss QB Matt Corral in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. That's clearly a move for the future, as Corral has the talent to be a starting QB in the NFL one day, but unfortunately, due to the battle for the starting role, it was never likely to happen in 2022.
On top of that, Corral has now sustained a season ending injury, so if the Panthers did somehow see him taking over this team one day, it won't be until at least 2023 at the earliest. During their Week 2 pre-season loss to New England, Carolina lost Corral for the year after sustaining a Lisfranc injury, according to Panthers Head Coach Matt Rhule.
#Panthers rookie QB Matt Corral has a Lisfranc injury that is likely season ending, per coach Matt Rhule. Bad luck for the Ole Miss product.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 20, 2022
Corral was struggling during the pre-season, as not all QB's or not all players can adjust to the NFL quickly, but he sustained the injury when his foot was stepped on, sustaining what Rhule called 'significant' damage, meaning that to be safe, he will miss the entirety of his rookie season.
"I hate it for him, I hate it any time one of our guys is hurt" Rhule said following the news. "I know Matt's a battler, so this year of development, he's going to have to grind, both taking care of his foot and all the things he needs to do as a Quarterback. Hopefully one day he'll look back on it as a blessing, but I hate it for him right now."
These quotes from Matt Rhule show that Corral was making a good impression in camp, and while he was only destined for a bench role in 2022, if he can come back from this injury and impress the coaches once more, he may potentially be a starter down the line. For right now though, it's tough to see anyone sustain such a devastating injury.
Photo Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
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