The New England Patriots stunned fans with the quarterback moves they made on Tuesday afternoon, but the changes may wind up being a lot less drastic than they appear.
The Patriots cut both Bailey Zappe and rookie Malik Cunningham just before the deadline for teams to trim their rosters down to 53 players. The moves left them with Mac Jones as the only quarterback on their roster. While that confirmed the obvious, which is that Jones has won the starting job, it left some wondering why the Patriots are almost starting fresh with their quarterback room.
But they aren’t. According to Dianna Russini and Jeff Howe of The Athletic, the Patriots still want Zappe to be their backup quarterback if he clears waivers.
The Patriots are planning for their backup QB to be Bailey Zappe if he clears waivers and makes it to practice squad. Otherwise they’re working through a list of who will be available, league sources tell me and @jeffphowe
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) August 30, 2023
Zappe was a fourth-round pick by New England last year and saw action in four games, including two starts. He passed for 781 yards, 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. The Pats went 2-0 in his starts. There was even talk at one point that the locker room was divided between Jones and Zappe.
Cunningham signed with New England as an undrafted free agent out of Louisville. He has played wide receiver and on special teams in addition to quarterback during training camp. He left many fans impressed with his play. The Patriots are likely hoping he clears waivers as well.
A team could now throw a wrench in the Patriots’ plans by claiming Zappe, but that is a risk Bill Belichick was obviously willing to take.
