Carolina Panthers quarterback and 2022 draftee Matt Corral has issued a defiant message following the arrivals of Bryce Young and Andy Dolton.
Corral, 24, was a 94th overall selection for the Panthers in 2022 and his rookie season ended pretty quickly after suffering a lisfranc injury in a preseason game against the New England Patriots. The former Ole Miss star was then placed on season-ending IR.
Corral will be hoping the 2023/24 season is more fruitful for himself and the Panthers, and he'll be contending with 2023 No1 overall pick Young and NFL veteran Dolton, who joined from the New Orleans Saints, for game time.
An additional challenge for Corral is to adapt to the new coaching staff with a different offensive scheme. Nonetheless, Corral is up for the challenge, issuing a defiant message ahead of the new season.
"It was a rough year - a long one at that," Corral said. "But you got to have perspective and it's all about controlling what you can control. And honestly, that's what's made me happy. Getting another opportunity to be here and play for the Carolina Panthers -- I'm blessed. I'm in it for the long haul. When that opportunity comes, I'll be ready."
Corral also insisted that he doesn't want to get traded ahead of August. "Me personally, if it was up to me, I don't want to get traded," he added. "I love the people here. I love the people that I'm around. I want to play for Coach Reich. I really like the coaches that we have around us."
Three years separate Panthers new boy Young, 21, and Corral, and the latter finding his feet in Carolina is beneficial for the franchise in the long run. Corral has held talks with coach Frank Reich, who praised the quarterback's attitude. "I had a great conversation with Matt the other day and obviously, I won't go into those private conversations but Matt's got a great attitude about it," said Reich.
"His perspective is what it needs to be. My only two cents would be, you gotta play the long game. It's a long season. And it's a long career. Just do the next right thing. Get better every day. Work hard out at practice. Learn this offense. Execute. Be a good teammate. Play in this league a long time and be ready when your opportunity comes and make the most of it.
"I told Scott [Fitterer] from day one I think Matt's been good in quarterback meetings. He's got a good arm, he's a good athlete. This will be a good opportunity for him to get a few more reps."
Interestingly, Young isn't a stranger to Corral. The pair both grew up in California, and Corral has known Young since the seventh grade. "I've known Bryce since seventh grade, maybe," Corral revealed. "He's always been two years younger but we'd be in the same spots, same area, same camps working.
"As we got older, I remember he went to Cathedral. I was at Oaks Christian. He then transferred to Mater Dei after that.
"I transferred to Long Beach Poly, but we've always been in the same area. It's kind of cool just to see the growth that has came from when we first met each other in seventh grade."
