3 Patriots on the Chopping Block Next After JuJu Smith-Schuster Release
By Ryan Bunton
1. Bailey Zappe
Thursday night felt like Bailey Zappe's final audition for the New England Patriots.
Zappe received the lion's share of reps in New England's preseason game, throwing 20 passes. The other three quarterbacks who played for the Patriots on Thursday - Jacoby Brissett, Drake Maye, and Joe Milton - threw three, three, and six passes, respectively. Zappe completed 12 of those 20 passes for 108 yards while working with second and three-stringers.
Veteran Jacoby Brissett and third overall pick Drake Maye are locks for the roster at quarterback, and Joe Milton's likelihood of making the final 53-man roster is bordering on a lock. Milton only further cemented his case with some eye-popping plays on Thursday.
The "Zappe Fever" run during his 2022 rookie season was a fun time, as the Patriots won both games that Zappe started while filling in for the injured Mac Jones. Zappe finished last season as New England's starter, but that feels like more of an indictment on Mac Jones' dismal play at quarterback than any sort of compliment to Zappe.
When Zappe has been under center for the Patriots, the team has shown a more competitive spark, but his talent ceiling just isn't there. The Patriots wouldn't have made the offseason decisions that they did (i.e. signing Brissett, drafting Maye with the third overall pick, doubling up on rookie quarterbacks by drafting Milton) if they felt like Zappe had a future in New England.
The Patriots could try to pass Zappe through the waiver wire to the practice squad, as they did last August when no other organizations decided to claim the 2022 fourth-round pick. With three quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart, there is just no way that Zappe makes the final roster cut.
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