Bailey Zappe is back on the New England Patriots’ practice squad, but questions still linger from the team’s decision to cut him from the initial 53-man roster on Tuesday.
It was a gamble that ultimately paid off, but the Patriots were still willing to risk the possibility of another team claiming their No. 2 quarterback behind Mac Jones on waivers. Why would they take a risk like that?
Buy Patriots TicketsThe Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed reported it was a performance issue above all else for Zappe.
“I’ll just share what I heard from someone within the team, which was two words: ‘He stunk’. And that covered training camp. It covered the preseason,” said Callahan.
Kyed echoed Callahan’s reporting and explained how the team felt like the fit wasn’t good enough for newly hired coordinator Bill O’Brien’s offense.
“Yeah, and that’s just the performance wasn’t good enough,” said Kyed. “That he wasn’t picking up the offense fast enough. That he wasn’t a good enough fit for what Bill O’Brien wanted to do, and it’s essentially just what I heard from multiple people was that it wasn’t good enough.”
The #Patriots cut Bailey Zappe for two words and one reason this summer.
“He stunk.”
More intel on Zappe and Belichick’s gamble to cut his backup QB on @PatsInterferenc:
📺 https://t.co/1cXdQRiI51
🍎 https://t.co/HFUo5F3zKD
🎧 https://t.co/pdHuSs6Lhz💰@FDSportsbook #PatsInt https://t.co/BYKXr4O0zi pic.twitter.com/nIzbwEBe5W
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) August 31, 2023
The offense struggled to get anything going with Zappe under center in the preseason opener against the Houston Texans. If not for rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham sparking the unit, the Patriots wouldn’t have scored a touchdown in the game.
Meanwhile, Zappe and company fell off a cliff in the preseason finale against the Tennessee Titans, when the second-year quarterback was sacked four times and fumbled three times with one fumble being recovered by the defense.
On Thursday, the Patriots signed Matt Corral to the roster, which means there’s a legitimate possibility Zappe isn’t viewed as the No. 2 quarterback anymore. It’s crazy to think about the difference a year makes.
Last season, people were calling for Zappe to start at quarterback over Jones. Now, there’s the possibility that he’s been reduced to little more than a practice squad hopeful.
