Carolina lost more than just a preseason football game to the New England Patriots. They also look to have lost Matt Corral for the entirety of his rookie year after he suffered a Lisfranc injury in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, it's a foot injury that Panthers fans are far too familiar with the pain after it derailed Cam Newton's career in Carolina.

Corral, who the Panthers traded up for in the third round, never was competing for much of a playing role this season. The injury, however, fully removes him from the conversation, which in some ways may have been a blessing for an uneasy Matt Rhule, who has struggled with finding an answer at quarterback. Rhule has avoided naming Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold as the starting quarterback, leading to uncertainty about how the backup position will be managed. If Mayfield were named the starter, would Carolina release Darnold and then roll with PJ Walker at Matt Corral as the backups? Would Carolina have kept Mayfield, Darnold, and Corral, leaving Walker the odd-man out? Those questions became a little less complicated as Corral likely heads to injured reserve. Darnold may now be an asset worth keeping, and PJ may have gotten a reprieve.

By Tony Dunn

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