Patriots update statuses of Matt Corral and Jack Jones
Aug 18, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Matt Corral (2) throws the ball during the second half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots have had a busy Saturday the day before their 2023 season opener against the New England Patriots. After adding quarterback Bailey Zappe to the roster Saturday morning, the team made another series of roster moves in the afternoon.
According to Patriots sign RB Ty Montgomery II and QB Bailey Zappe to the 53-man roster; Elevate LB Calvin Munson to the active roster; Place DB Jack Jones on IR and list QB Matt Corral as exempt/left squad: https://t.co/JTHfCfSEeg
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 9, 2023?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a release from the team, in addition to Zappe the Patriots also signed running back/wide receiver Ty Montgomery to the 53-man roster from the practice squad. To open the spots, the Patriots placed cornerback Jack Jones on IR and placed quarterback Matt Corral on the exempt/left squad list. In addition, the team elevated linebacker/special teamer Calvin Munson from the practice squad.
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After missing all of last season with a shoulder injury, Montgomery has a strong start to training camp this summer before missing multiple weeks with a knee injury. He returned to the field late in camp, was initially waived, and then brought back on the practice squad. Montgomery adds a true pass-catching back to the Patriots’ running back room of combo backs Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott.
Jones heads to IR with a hamstring injury that held him out of practice both on Thursday and Friday this week. He’ll now have to miss at least four games (including Week 1) before the team can activate him. That leaves the Patriots’ boundary cornerbacks as Jonathan Jones and rookie Christian Gonzalez. Marcus Jones, Myles Bryant, and Shaun Wade are primarily slot cornerbacks, but can also play on the boundary.
Corral was reported to have been waived by the team Saturday morning, before this update. According to QB Matt Corral left the Patriots without notice, according to a source.
Explains the "not injury related" tag on the practice report Friday and his placement on the exempt/left squad list today.
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) September 9, 2023?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, Corral “left the Patriots without notice.” This is after he didn’t participate in Friday’s practice, and had his absence defined as “non-injury related” on the injury report.
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Because he’s been placed on the exempt/left squad list, Corral doesn’t go through the waiver process and isn’t a free agent. He’s still technically on the Patriots, but doesn’t count against the active roster. He is ineligible to play while on the list. The Patriots can active at any time, but will need to open up a roster spot to do so. At the same time, they can release him off that list if they choose to.
The Patriots claimed Corral off waivers from the Panthers (who drafted him in the third round in 2022) after final roster cuts last week. It was initially reported he would compete with Zappe for the backup job.
Munson’s elevation comes after a strong close to training camp. He’ll likely contribute mainly on special teams while filling a depth role on defense. This elevation is just for the week – he’ll be active for Sunday’s game then revert to the practice squad again on Monday. Each practice squad player can be elevated up to three times every season.
Read more…
Stopping the Eagles, easier said than done: Patriots vs. Eagles What to Watch For
There’s no dipping a toe in the water as the New England Patriots begin their 2023 season. They’ll be cannonballing right into the deep end of the pool of NFL opponents, when they host the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
The Eagles are coming off of one of their best seasons in franchise history. In just the second season under head coach Nick Sirianni, the Birds went 14-3 – tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for the best record in the NFL – and reached their fourth Super Bowl in NFL history.
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—What to expect from the Patriots’ rookies in 2023
— Four bold predictions for the 2023 Patriots
— Ranking the top 23 games of Tom Brady’s career
On offense, the Eagles were led by MVP runner-up Jalen Hurts. In his third NFL season, Hurts completed 66.5 percent of his passes for 3,701 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. On the ground he added another 760 yards (to the tune of 4.6 yards per carry) and 13 more scores. Bill Belichick described Hurts this week as “arguably the best player in the league, or one of the top two or three best players in the league.”
Defensively the Eagles’ front put together a historic season. They piled up 70 sacks, the third most ever by a team in a single season. It was just the third time a team has surpassed the 60 sack mark in a season since 2000, with the Eagles joining the 2000 Saints (66 sacks) and 2006 Chargers (61).
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For all their dominance though, the Eagles are relatively straightforward in the way they go about their business. There’s not a ton of smoke and mirrors in their philosophy, as Belichick pointed out this week.
“I don’t think it’s a big mystery about what they do. They just do it very well,” he explained. “They’re well-balanced, so you can’t over play one thing without giving up something else.” Things aren’t expected to change despite the team losing both coordinators this offseason.
Simply put, the Eagles are talented. It doesn’t matter if opponents know what’s coming, it’s about being able to physically make the plays to stop it (a concept Patriots fans should be familiar with from their own team’s dominant two-decade run). It’s easy to identify what the Patriots need to be able to do to have a chance to win the game – but it’ll be much harder for them to actually do it.
Keeping that ‘easier said than done’ theme in mind, let’s look at some key areas the Patriots will need to be competitive in if they want to start their season with a win on Sunday…
Alex Barth is a digital content producer and on-air host for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Barth grew up in the Boston area and began covering both the New England Patriots, Boston Celtics, and Boston Red Sox in 2017 before joining the Hub in 2020. He now covers all things Boston Sports for 985TheSportsHub.com as well as appearing on air. Alex writes about all New England sports, as well as college football. You can follow him across all social media platforms at @RealAlexBarth.