Matt Corral may not fit the suit of Patriots quarterbacks past. But that doesn't mean they aren't enthused about his talent.
Hearing from coaches and executives around the NFL in the last 24 hours, it's clear the Patriots added a backup quarterback option with some very intriguing -- if unrefined -- traits to play the position.
"Super talented coming out of college," one AFC executive said. "Good combination of arm and athleticism."
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"I was a fan of his college tape," one NFC offensive coordinator said. "Quick release. Accurate."
Corral obviously isn't the perfect prospect. If he was something closer to that, he wouldn't have been drafted in the third round last spring. He wouldn't have been waived by the Panthers, who intended to bring him back on the practice squad.
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Corral has dealt with lower-body injuries that are a concern for a player who relies on his athleticism. His banked reps as a pro are lacking. He was hurt in a preseason game against the Patriots last season, and this summer he didn't receive many training-camp reps as Carolina focused on getting their top two quarterback options -- rookie No. 1 pick Bryce Young and veteran Andy Dalton -- prepared for the season.
When Corral did get some action in preseason games, his performance "wasn't impressive," the NFC coordinator said. "Looked uncomfortable and inaccurate."
But the Patriots liked him enough to claim him, thanks in large part to his college tape. They liked him enough to give him a 53-man roster spot, which is more than they were willing to do for practice-squad passer Bailey Zappe.
Here are five more takeaways from the Corral addition after conversations from a variety of front-office personnel and coaches:
Corral's fit in Bill O'Brien's offense
While there is plenty of overlap between what Bill O'Brien will do and what Josh McDaniels did as offensive coordinator in Foxboro, they differ significantly in this way: the use of RPOs.
The Patriots had the ability to run RPOs, McDaniels said. But they didn't. Under O'Brien this summer, it has become clear that the Patriots will incorporate more of those run-pass option calls. They called for more than one in Mac Jones' three series against the Packers in his lone preseason action of the summer.
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Corral was an RPO-you-to-death quarterback at Ole Miss under Lane Kiffin. His twitchiness allows him to execute the quick footwork necessary to make those read-and-react throws in the short-to-intermediate area of the field. And his accuracy in that range is very good, scouts say.
It's also worth noting that Kiffin was the offensive coordinator at Alabama under Nick Saban once upon a time, so there should be some shared offensive language between Mac Jones, Corral and O'Brien.
Corral brings traits that Zappe doesn't
At 6-foot-2, Corral is a little taller than Zappe. He's much more athletic. And his arm is much stronger. Physically, he's a superior prospect. And because of those traits, he's a worthwhile developmental quarterback in a way that Zappe isn't.
Corral also has the ability to execute some of the quarterback-running-game concepts that O'Brien has at his disposal. Down inside the red zone -- despite Corral's past injuries -- Kiffin was more than comfortable calling designed quarterback runs to punch it into the end zone. And Corral responded by showing a level of toughness and a willingness to play through contact to find the goal line. Those are things that aren't strengths for either Zappe or Jones.
But as a backup quarterback, who could be forced to play in an emergency situation without many practice reps under his belt week-to-week, having the athleticism to create plays with his legs is a positive that Corral brings to the table. That kind of mobility also would have value as a scout-team quarterback. The Patriots defense will face a variety of mobile passers this season, and Corral would provide that side of the ball a much better look than Zappe would in the days leading up to games.
(Malik Cunningham could help in that regard, too, now that he's on the practice squad. But it's unclear how much time Cunningham is getting now at the quarterback position. He was used there only sparingly and saw the vast majority of his work at receiver in camp.)
O'Brien has input ... as he should
There seems to be some confusion as to just how much the personnel department in New England works with its coaching staff to find players who will fit their systems.
This isn't a process where the team finds talent first and then figures out how to use it later. While the Patriots want to be versatile in the schemes they use, they have their preferences. And the players they import are imported because they fit those preferences. For the most part.
So, it should come as no surprise that O'Brien is interested in Corral and that the Patriots were willing to claim Corral to throw him into O'Brien's quarterbacks room. When McDaniels was in Foxboro, the front office was looking for players who fit what McDaniels wanted to do. He had say. Of course he did.
O'Brien has say now. Corral's addition is a reminder of that.
What are the downsides?
How Corral meshes with the other stuff O'Brien will want to do -- working under center, turning his back to the defense, going through complex progressions -- remains to be seen. When asked to do some of those things against the Patriots in last year's preseason, it was ugly for Corral. He went 9-for-15 for 58 yards in that game, took a sack, and had an interception dropped.
Additionally, though Corral has a very strong arm -- you can see him throw it about 65 yards in the air against Arkansas in his final season at Ole Miss -- he can get a little more scattershot as he tries to rev the RPMs. And there's no guarantee he'll ever be the kind of anticipatory thrower who can run an extremely multiple system the Patriots want. They put a lot on the plates of their quarterbacks, and how he handles it remains to be seen.
Especially now that he's missed all of training camp, he's in all likelihood going to be digesting the offense on a week-to-week basis, gameplan-to-gameplan, instead of getting a chance to install everything over the course of several months and then refamiliarize as elements are added to weekly plans.
The Patriots don't have a great Week 1 backup option
The issue with the Corral addition? The Patriots are still lacking when it comes to their Week 1 backup options.
They obviously would like someone other than Zappe. If he was locked in as their No. 2, they wouldn't have exposed him to the rest of the league as they did. Of course, Zappe is more familiar with the Patriots offense than anyone else in the quarterback room after Jones. But he was given an entire summer to show his progression in that system, and it went poorly enough that the Patriots dismissed him.
The Patriots have said it without saying it: They don't trust Zappe to be their backup in a situation that matters.
Can they say they trust Corral? Of course not. They're just getting to work with him. But Corral may be the better of the two options to function as the backup against the Eagles in Week 1. Because of his athleticism and playing style, he may be able to make things happen off-script in a way that Zappe could not.
Still, whoever is dressed as the No. 2 behind Jones, it'll be a less-than-ideal scenario for Bill Belichick entering Week 1 with Philly and its vaunted pass-rush coming to town.