Former New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe has had some time to watch Patrick Mahomes up close after signing with the Chiefs this offseason, and it looks like he might have the opportunity to be able to take what he learned and put it into practice in an actual game.
According to reports, the Cleveland Browns have reportedly signed Zappe off of the Chiefs’ practice squad onto their active roster. Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending Achilles injury, which created a need at the position and it appears they’ve decided Zappe might be the solution.
The Browns got an up close look at Zappe back in 2022. The former Patriots QB finished 24-of-34 (70.6%) for 309 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 38-15 Week 6 blowout victory over Cleveland in front of a Browns crowd who likely believed before the game they should have beaten the rookie quarterback.
Instead, Zappe put up the second-highest point total scored against Cleveland that season, which was only exceeded after Miami put together a 39-17 victory over them a few weeks later in Week 10.
This is certainly a great opportunity for Zappe, who finds himself in a position where he could potentially seize the starting role given the uncertainty likely surrounding Watson after this season.
He’ll now compete against Jameis Winston, who has a history of turning the ball over while being known for not always making the best decisions. Winston has finished each of the last two seasons with more interceptions than touchdowns, with turnovers having been an issue for him over the course of his career.
Zappe had turnover issues of his own last season, throwing just six touchdowns and 9 interceptions in relief of Mac Jones, who tossed 10 touchdowns but 12 picks before he was benched in favor of the former Western Kentucky standout.
However, Zappe did improve as the year went on, putting together a four-game span where he threw six touchdowns and just two interceptions from Weeks 13 through Week 16. But down the stretch, injuries left them devoid of offensive talent, which saw Zappe finish the final two games with 0 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.
Their personnel issues in 2023 contributed to both of the quarterbacks’ issues throughout much of last season, and that’s – unfortunately – carried over into 2024 for New England as well.
The Patriots parted ways with Zappe this offseason as they revamped their QB room, putting together a group that currently includes veteran Jacoby Brissett and rookie Drake Maye, along with fellow rookie, Joe Milton.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
