Getty Quarterback Matt Corral, formerly of the Carolina Panthers.
The Minnesota Vikings have added a fourth quarterback to the roster following rookie J.J. McCarthy’s season-ending knee surgery.
Minnesota signed Matt Corral on Friday, August 16 — a former third-round pick of the Carolina Panthers who also played a stint as a member of the New England Patriots.
Corral, 25, has never taken a regular-season snap in the NFL, despite the Panthers selecting him with the No. 94 overall pick in the 2022 draft. Part of that equation was a foot injury during his rookie campaign that landed him on the injured reserve list (IR).
Carolina replaced head coach Matt Rhule and the regime that was in charge when the Panthers drafted Corral, which led to his release in late August 2023, just ahead of the start of last season. He spent time on the Patriots’ practice squad, but never played his way into a game.
Corral has also spent time outside of the NFL, linking up with the Birmingham Stallions of the UFL before landing in Minnesota, per Kevin Seifert of ESPN.
Vikings Make Clear Statements on Sam Darnold, Nick Mullens by Signing Matt Corral
GettyQuarterback Sam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings.
Corral will compete with Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall — Minnesota’s current second- and third-string quarterbacks, respectively — for a spot behind starter Sam Darnold.
Darnold inked a one-year deal with the Vikings this offseason to serve as a bridge to McCarthy taking over the role full-time at some point during, or after, the 2024 campaign. The torn meniscus McCarthy suffered against the Las Vegas Raiders on August 10, the first preseason action of his career, has cemented Darnold in the QB1 role — at least to begin the year.
Mullens is a seasoned backup with 20 career starts (5-15) who saw action in five contests for Minnesota last season despite a back injury that kept him sidelined for several weeks early on.
The offense functioned relatively successfully with Mullens under center, as he amassed north of 1,300 passing yards and 7 TDs. However, he also threw 8 INTs and led the Vikings to an 0-3 record as the starter.
Hall got two chances to start. In Week 9, he played a solid first quarter against the Atlanta Falcons before a concussion knocked him out of the contest and he subsequently lost the QB1 spot to Josh Dobbs, now of the San Francisco 49ers.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell yanked Mullens from the starting lineup ahead of Week 17 due to his turnover issues. Hall then got the nod against the Green Bay Packers in a must-win game, but the coaching staff pulled him after just 10 passes in favor of Mullens.
Minnesota went on to lose the contest in a blowout, which officially eliminated the team from playoff contention.
Vikings Will Face Serious Questions at QB if Sam Darnold Gets Injured, Plays Poorly
GettyQuarterback Nick Mullens of the Minnesota Vikings.
Corral is an interesting choice considering he has no familiarity with the Vikings’ offense or any regular-season experience with any franchise.
Educated speculation suggests that Corral is in camp to keep both Mullens and Hall on their toes, but to truly compete with Hall for the job of third-string quarterback.
The Vikings are transitioning away from six-year starter Kirk Cousins this season and McCarthy, the No. 10 overall pick in April, remains the clear future of the position. That said, the team has made moves this offseason that indicate its intent to compete in the NFC North Division this year.
Thus, it is hard to imagine that the decision-makers intend to hand the keys to the offense to a Corral, a player who joined them in mid-August and has never taken an NFL snap.
Should something happen to sideline Darnold, Mullens becomes the obvious favorite to step into a starting role. However, an injury or poor play on Darnold’s part could lead the Vikings to pursue a veteran free agent starter like Ryan Tannehill after cobbling together a 2023 campaign that saw the team start four different QBs across 17 games.
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