Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Matt Corral is away from the team, dealing with a “tragedy in the family.”
“We told him to take some time,” coach Matt Rhule told reporters on Wednesday afternoon, saying that Corral called him at 5:30 a.m. ET to let him know about his absence, per James Palmer of the NFL Network.
The 23-year-old, who was a third-round selection in the NFL draft, is expected to have a chance to fight for the starting QB position as general manager Scott Fitterer told ProFootballTalk that the job remains “up for grabs.”
“The more we got to know him, the more we liked him,” offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo said on Wednesday morning, via Jonathan Alexander of The Charlotte Observer. “He will Ole MIss to a bunch of wins. … I really like his skillset, the way he gets the ball out quickly.”
Last season, Corral threw for 3,349 yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions in 13 games for Ole Miss. He also added 614 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.