Panthers QB Matt Corral Away From Team After Family Tragedy

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 was a third-round selection in the NFL draft by Carolina, and could be in the mix as a rookie quarterback. The team still has last year’s starter, Sam Darnold, but last month general manager Scott Fitterer told ProFootballTalk that the job remains “up for grabs.”

While the missed time during OTAs isn’t ideal for a young quarterback like Corral, it sounds like he has the support of his team, and that he’s impressed early on.

“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.”

Corral threw for 3,349 yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions in 13 games for Ole Miss last season, adding 614 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.