The first round of NFL roster cuts ahead of yesterday’s deadline left several notable quarterbacks in need of work. The Kansas City Chiefs appeared solid at the position with Patrick Mahomes and Carson Wentz, but Brett Veach has managed to upgrade the practice squad with a surprising addition.
Bailey Zappe, of New England Patriots fame, has landed in Kansas City as the QB3-in-waiting, according to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz.
Zappe famously duked it out with Mac Jones in the Patriots’ ongoing QB competition a season ago. He appeared in 10 games (six starts) to complete 59.9 percent of his passes, accumulating 1,272 yards, six touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Zappe also scrambled for an additional 83 yards, plus another TD.
If we are to frame it most charitably, Zappe narrowly edged out Jones in the Patriots’ final QB room under Bill Belichick. That hardly stands as an impressive accomplishment. That said, he’s the sort of upside swing teams like to take in backup QB roles. At 25, there’s still room for Zappe to grow, and he now has legitimate NFL experience under his belt. We must note that New England was probably the worst possible ecosystem for a QB last season.
Odds are Zappe looks better in a new home.
Chiefs sign former Patriots QB Bailey Zappe to practice squad
Kansas City cut Chris Oladokun after a few impressive preseason flashes, which clears the way for Zappe to join the practice squad. A fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Western Kentucky, Zappe became a well-liked figure in the Patriots’ locker room (if not in the Patriots’ fandom).
An unfortunate roster crunch led to Zappe’s availability. There simply wasn’t room left on the Patriots roster after bringing in Jacoby Brissett, Drake Maye, and Joe Milton in the span of one offseason. Zappe earned his opportunities in 2023, and while he didn’t do much with them, we must again emphasize how grave the Patriots’ offensive setup was. Zappe was hung out to dry behind arguably the NFL’s worst offensive line, and his playmaking corps wasn’t much better.
New England didn’t have the talent to establish a consistent run game, which put immense stress on the passing attack, helmed by inexperienced, severely flawed QBs and a basement-dwelling WR room. It was just a bad recipe all around.
It would take some seriously unfavorable developments for Zappe to actually appear in live action for the Chiefs, but he’s as solid a QB3 bet as you’ll find around the league. Kansas City isn’t exactly flush with established wide receivers, but the Pats didn’t even have a Hollywood Brown or Xavier Worthy last season. They definitely didn’t have a Travis Kelce. The Chiefs’ O-line, meanwhile, profiles as one of the best in football.
This is a solid gamble from Zappe’s perspective, too. He surely had multiple practice team offers on the table, but the Chiefs’ offense is a great environment in which to blossom, even if it’s only in a practice environment. This probably isn’t the last we’ve heard of Bailey Zappe in the NFL.