Matt Corral is Looking Forward to a Fresh Start...in Carolina

Last year's third-round draft pick is looking for a fresh start, but in Carolina.

'It hasn't all been easy breezy for Matt Corral since being drafted in the third round by the Carolina Panthers last spring. His rookie season was shut down before it really ever began after suffering a Lisfranc injury in a preseason game against the New England Patriots. A few days later, he was placed on season-ending IR.

To make matters even more challenging, Corral has had to adapt to a new coaching staff that has a completely different offensive scheme and oh yeah, he's got the No. 1 pick now in the room, Bryce Young. 

"It was a rough year - a long one at that," Corral said Monday. "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."

Whether it was the injury, the coaching change, or the Panthers trading up for a quarterback, Corral has had to constantly overcome adversity and try to block out the uncontrollable. And he's done that. He recently had a sit-down with head coach Frank Reich and appears to be in a good frame of mind about his situation and is eager to learn.

"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."

Reich also mentioned the possibility of bringing in a fourth quarterback at some point but even if that happens, Corral is expected to receive a lot of playing time in preseason play. And yes, the plan is for Corral to be here in August and it's right where he wants to be.

"Me personally, if it was up to me, I don't want to get traded. 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."

Now that all the major movement is in the past, Corral is moving forward with his head down and ready to work alongside Andy Dalton and Bryce Young - who he's known for quite some time.

"I've known Bryce since seventh grade, maybe. 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."

Whether or not the Panthers keep Corral on the 53-man roster heading into the regular season is a decision that's months away from having to be made, but it feels like he's in a good spot as long as he continues to impress with the reps he gets now and later this summer.

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