Matt Corral’s rookie season is probably over before it even begins

Matt Corral suffered a Lisfranc injury during the Carolina Panthers’ final preseason game.

It looks like the season is over Carolina Panther Rookie quarterback Matt Corral does.

The former Ole Miss Football Star quarterback suffered a Lisfranc injury to his foot during Carolina’s second preseason game with Carolina New England Patriots Friday night. His head coach Matt Rhule believes this injury is significant as the rookie’s season will almost certainly be over. Corral struggled to endorse Baker Mayfield with Sam Darnold and PJ Walker this year.

While that stinks for Corral, it makes the backup fight between Darnold and Walker even hotter.

Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Matt Corral is likely out for the season

No doubt this is brutal for Corral. He was considered one of the top four quarterback prospects of 2022 NFL draft. While he fell to Carolina, Corral still has the potential to be the top signal caller in his draft class. However, it must be absolutely devastating not to be able to play at all during your rookie year, which includes Kenny Pickett, Desmond Ridder and Malik Willis.

Not only is this terrible for Corral, it’s also far from ideal for Rhule, who has perhaps the hottest spot in the country NFL get into the season. The former Baylor and Temple head coach is in his third year at Charlotte to win. Otherwise, new owner David Tepper will be quick to pull the plug on Rhule’s Caroline reign. Having Corral’s promise would have been a huge plus for him to keep his job.

Ultimately, this year is all about Mayfield for Carolina. That he beat Darnold after only being on the Panthers’ roster for weeks says everything you need to know about the quarterback fight. Given that Walker is the group’s longest-serving quarterback and played for Rhule at Temple, he could make the 53-man roster. The pressure is on Darnold to form this team now.

As painful as it is, Corral going down for the count makes things a little clearer in Carolina.