Patriots' Bill Belichick addresses decision to waive Bailey Zappe

Bill Belichick made headlines last week after making a surprising roster move on cutdown day.  The New England Patriots waived Bailey Zappe, who served as the backup to Mac Jones last season. While they later re-signed him to the practice squad, this move was certainly a gamble, with any other team able to claim him […]

Sophie Weller — NFL Trending News Writer
Add as preferred source on Google
Bill Belichick, Bailey Zappe
Bob Breidenbach / USA TODAY NETWORK

Bill Belichick made headlines last week after making a surprising roster move on cutdown day. 

The New England Patriots waived Bailey Zappe, who served as the backup to Mac Jones last season. While they later re-signed him to the practice squad, this move was certainly a gamble, with any other team able to claim him off waivers. 

And on Monday morning, Belichick finally addressed what went into that decision. 

“All the roster decisions are based on what we feel like is best for our football team,” Belichick told reporters. “There’s a number of things involved there. But glad to have Bailey and continue to work with him. I still think he’s a good, young, developing player, so we’ll keep working with him.”

Zappe had a rough preseason, but still appeared to be the choice behind Jones. Yet, both Zappe and Cunningham were waived on Tuesday, leaving Jones as the only quarterback on the active roster for a little bit.

They then signed former Panthers quarterback Matt Corral to the active roster, but that doesn't mean that he has the backup spot locked down quite yet. 

"I don't know," Belichick said when asked if Corral will serve as the backup on Sunday. "He hasn't even been on the field yet. So, we'll see."

In his rookie season, Zappe certainly made a name for himself, starting the season as the third-string quarterback before earning the backup spot. Mac Jones was injured and unable to play for a few weeks, with Zappe leading the team to two wins in his first two starts.

While Jones returned in Week 7, he clearly struggled in his first game back, with Zappe sent in to replace him. This led to some questions about who should be the starter, but it was Jones for the rest of the season with Zappe behind him. 

Jones is the clear starter this season, but there still remains a quarterback competition for who will serve as the backup. Will it be Corral or Zappe? 

We're just going to have to wait and see. 

Featured Image via Bob Breidenbach / USA TODAY NETWORK

Related Articles