Vikings give Matt Corral another NFL chance, but what role could he play?
The 2022 third-round quarterback was signed on Friday after J.J. McCarthy went on injured reserve. Does he have any chance of sticking on the roster?
(Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings)
The Minnesota Vikings put J.J. McCarthy on season-ending injured reserve Friday and added Matt Corral to a quarterback room that includes Sam Darnold, Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall.
So where does Corral, a third-round pick of the Carolina Panthers in 2022, fit into this mix? Darnold was going to be the starter in the Sept. 8 season-opener against the New York Giants before McCarthy suffered a meniscus injury and nothing will change with that plan.
Mullens will start on Saturday in Cleveland - Darnold is expected to sit in the remaining two exhibition games - and be followed by Hall. There’s a chance Corral is being brought in to take some of the workload off the other three quarterbacks in the waning days of camp and will be jettisoned on Aug. 27 in the roster cutdown from 90 to 53 players.
I don’t see Corral as any type of threat to Mullens, but there’s a chance he could stick as the third QB on the roster ahead of Hall.
Corral’s first NFL season was cut short when he suffered a Lisfranc injury in a 2022 preseason game against New England. He was placed on injured reserve and missed his rookie season. He was waived in late August of last year before being picked up by the Patriots.
Corral had a short stint with New England, and most recently played for Birmingham of the UFL this spring. Corral went 3-0 in his starts and passed for 494 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions as the Stallions won the league title.
Corral’s back story is an interesting one that includes a battle with depression that he has discussed. Eric Edholm of Yahoo! Sports did a feature on Corral’s past before the 2022 draft. The expectation was that Corral might go late in the first round, but, instead, he fell to the third. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Corral’s stock fell because of past issues, “including alcohol … and unreliable behavior.”
Corral left the Patriots under unusual circumstances last season, but the Vikings must be confident that they won’t have similar issues.
Seems like a Wasted move, knowing that they ALREADY have a drinking/alcoholic issue (s) to deal with! Not good especially for the QB position, that requires a positive upbeat personality.