The New England Patriots' backup quarterback situation took a weird turn over the weekend.
It was reported that Matt Corral was going to be released after the team signed Bailey Zappe to the 53-man roster ahead of Sunday's season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. However, Corral remained with the team, getting placed on the exempt/left squad list on Saturday as the team reportedly didn't know where he was after he missed Friday's practice due to non-injury-related reasons.
So, what's the deal with Corral? Well, Patriots coach Bill Belichick didn't really have much of an explanation when he was asked about it during a press conference.
“He’s on exempt status. I don’t have any comment on it. That’s a personal matter,” Belichick said, giving a similar answer when asked if the team has been in contact with him.
Matt Corral has remained on the exempt/left squad list since Saturday, meaning that he's still under the Patriots' control, for now. New England claimed him off waivers when the Carolina Panthers released him on August 31, making him the primary backup quarterback to Mac Jones at the time as Zappe was released on cutdown day earlier that week.
However, Zappe won the backup quarterback battle for Week 1, getting promoted from the practice squad to rejoin the 53-man roster. FOX Sports' Henry McKenna reported that the Patriots weren't sure what happened with Corral after he left the team ahead of Friday's practice.
Article Continues Below“He just left the team,” a team source told McKenna. “Let's just make sure he's OK. I don't know if it's mental health. I just know he kind of flaked out. … Let's be careful this guy doesn't get thrown to the wolves.”
With QB Matt Corral, the #Patriots weren't sure what happened on Friday. Corral simply wasn't there for practice, per a team source.
"He just left the team," the source said. "Let's just make sure he's OK. I don't know if it's mental health. I just know he kind of flaked out.…
— Henry McKenna (@henrycmckenna) September 10, 2023
Corral was drafted by the Panthers in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Ole Miss. He missed the entirety of his rookie season after suffering a Lisfranc injury against the Patriots during the preseason.