For a second straight year, quarterback Bailey Zappe failed to make the New England Patriots’ initial 53-man roster.
NFL insider Jordan Schulz reported on Tuesday that Zappe had been released by the team. While the move wasn’t exactly surprising, it’s certainly noteworthy considering Zappe is a former starter for the Patriots.
He went 2-4 as the leading man under center last season as the Patriots sunk to an overall 4-13 record.
After failing to make the initial roster, Zappe was signed back to the Patriots’ practice squad and eventually promoted to the main roster. There’s always a chance he could find his way back on the Patriots’ practice squad, but at this point, it might make more sense for Zappe to look for opportunities elsewhere.
He has seemingly hit his ceiling with the Patriots, and quite frankly, the quarterback room is too crowded at the moment with Jacoby Brissett, Drake Maye and Joe Milton III.
All three quarterbacks are physically imposing with more athletic traits to their game. Meanwhile, Zappe is undersized at the position, and he has looked out of place since the start of training camp.
Make no mistake, that doesn’t mean Zappe couldn’t be a serviceable backup in the NFL elsewhere. There are other situations out there that could lead to him finding far more success than he could in New England at this point.
It’s simply a situation where the Patriots appear to be moving in a different direction with what they’re looking for in a quarterback.
And what the new regime is looking for clearly isn’t Zappe.
