Patriots Sign Former Fourth-Round Pick QB to Practice Squad
By Isaiah De Los Santos
The New England Patriots’ quarterback situation is in a weird spot right now. Though Mac Jones is the clear-cut starter, there’s been a ton of movement behind him lately, and now New England is right back where it started with Bailey Zappe as the No. 2 while Matt Corral is away from the team.
Zappe’s promotion to the active roster left a hole on the practice squad, and the Pats are filling it with a recent fourth-round pick.
The #Patriots are signing QB Ian Book to the practice squad, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 13, 2023
Patriots Sign Ian Book
New England has agreed to a practice-squad deal with Ian Book, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Interest picked up in the Notre Dame product recently, as he also worked out for the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday.
Book entered the league as a fourth-round pick by the New Orleans Saints in 2021. Some health issues cleared the way for him to start in Week 16 of that season, but it was a full-scale disaster. The rookie completed just 12 of 20 passes for 120 yards while throwing 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
He eventually moved on and most recently landed with the Philadelphia Eagles for training camp this year. Unfortunately, despite being the early frontrunner for the QB3 job behind Jalen Hurts and Marcus Mariota, Book was outshined by sixth-round pick Tanner McKee and cut.
Book’s NFL journey hasn’t been what he hoped for so far, and this chance with the Pats could be his last to make an impression. Hopefully he rises above that pressure, though, and proves he can contribute something at this level — even if it’s just holding down a practice squad role for the team this season.
Corral’s unexplained absence with no clear timetable does cloud Book’s season-long outlook. With a strong start, however, he could start to entrench himself in that job and possibly squeeze Corral out if he does return.
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