Foxborough, Mass. — “Zappe Fever” may be on life support. In an otherwise monotonous Day 2 of training camp, there was a development within the New England Patriots quarterback depth chart, albeit not the seismic shift of Drake Maye leaping to QB1 that most are hoping for. Instead, it centers around Bailey Zappe and his potential loosening grip of a roster spot.
During competitive drills (7-on-7s and 11-on-11s), the order of Jacoby Brissett getting the first-team reps and Maye following with the second team remained the status quo. However, when it was time for a third quarterback to enter the fray, it was rookie Joe Milton III who got the nod over Zappe. This marks the first time — in front of the media — that New England has pushed Milton up to QB3 and Zappe down to QB4.
In the spring, Zappe began earning second-team reps behind Brissett. As OTAs rolled into minicamp, Maye unseated him from that spot and made his expected move up the depth chart. Again, the No. 3 overall pick is going to ascend, so seeing that development wasn’t too surprising. Thursday’s dip down the depth chart, however, is notable and signals that Zappe’s future in Foxborough is hardly secure.
The third-year pro, who has started eight games for the organization with the Patriots going 4-4 in those games, was waived by New England last summer as a part of roster cuts, but ultimately found his way back a day later via the practice squad. It’s possible that this could be a path he follows this summer, especially if the Patriots only want to keep three quarterbacks on the roster. Naturally, Brissett and Maye are roster locks, and Milton, a sixth-round pick out of Tennessee, is arguably too talented to try to sneak through waivers, leaving Zappe expendable.
“We’re always going to take the mindset of we’re going to do what’s best for the organization and we’re going to try to get those guys reps so they can compete,” first-year head coach Jerod Mayo said Tuesday about keeping four quarterbacks on the active roster heading into the season. “I don’t know if that means four or three, honestly. Right now we have four quarterbacks and those guys will go out there and practice today.”
One wrinkle that could help Zappe’s chances of remaining on the Patriots roster is if the coaching staff wants to ease Maye into life in the NFL. That would result in Brissett starting the year (which seems likely at this point early in camp), but what if the veteran gets hurt? Would New England want to be forced into the Drake Maye era or would they rather have an established veteran — like Zappe — come in under duress and spare any risk of damaging Maye’s development if he isn’t ready? Even if that is part of the plans, however, that job could be open to any veteran quarterback who finds himself without a job at the end of the summer, especially if he has a prior history with offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt.
No matter how it ultimately shakes out, Thursday’s change at quarterback emphasizes the fragility of Zappe’s time in New England.
Here are some other news and nuggets that came out of Thursday’s session:
How the quarterbacks fare
Again, this wasn’t the type of practice that was particularly jam-packed. There were a lot of quick throws and check-downs throughout the day, and the offense didn’t exactly light the world on fire. That said, Brissett completed nine of his 13 passes during competitive drills. However, Brissett’s showing in 11-on-11s wasn’t great as he completed just two of his four passes and one of those completions likely would’ve been a sack in a real game setting. As for Maye, I’d argue he outperformed Brissett, completing 10 of his 12 passes in competitive drills. In 11s, the two misses on his four pass attempts was a miscommunication where Tyquan Thornton may have run the wrong route, and tight end Jaheim Bell dropped a completion, albeit with the ball coming in a bit wide.
In his new standing within the depth chart, Milton completed four of his six passes. Zappe saw minicamp work as the fourth quarterback, completing two of his three throws by my count during 7s.
Offensive line struggles
New England is continuing to try and piece things together along the offensive line and is shuffling in players like it is a Rubik’s Cube. On Day 1 of camp, we saw Calvin Anderson and rookie Caedan Wallace primarily work at right tackle with veteran Mike Onwenu working inside at right guard. Thursday’s session brought with it Vederian Lowe getting a chunk of time at right tackle sprinkled in with Wallace. Meanwhile, Anderson saw time at left tackle. No matter how the line shook out, however, Patriots quarterbacks did seem under siege more than they were on Day 1. Not only that, but interior lineman Antonio Mafi had a bad snap working as the center with Milton at quarterback on the final competitive play of the afternoon.
Health updates
We noted yesterday that Antonio Gibson landing on the NFI list didn’t sound too serious after hearing Mayo speak on the situation and the first-year Patriot did return to practice Thursday, but was limited. But as one skill player makes his way back, it was noteworthy that receiver DeMario Douglas was limited as he only participated in individual drills and not 7s or 11s. Fellow receiver Kendrick Bourne — who remains on the PUP list as he recovers from his torn ACL — was taking in practice on Thursday and did appear in good spirits, which makes one wonder how soon he may be able to take the field.
Marcus Jones turns in play of the day
In a day dominated by the defense, Marcus Jones made his presence felt early. In the first competitive 7-on-7 period and the first-team offense in, Jacoby Brissett targeted rookie wideout Ja’Lynn Polk on a throw and Jones was able to sneak his arm in to break up the would-be catch. With Christian Gonzalez having one boundary corner position locked up and Jonathan Jones able to work opposite of him, Marcus Jones seems like a logical starter as a slot corner.
Tyquan Thornton flashes
It does feel like we’ve taken the cheese on Thornton in the past, but the former second-round pick did put together a solid practice on Thursday. With Douglas limited, Thornton seemed to get an increased amount of reps and targets throughout the day, especially during 7-on-7s. While there was no splash play from him like Reagor’s one-handed grab on Wednesday, it was the type of consistent and productive practice that he’ll need to stack together to make the roster.
Robert Kraft chats with Matthew Judon
For the second day in a row, Robert Kraft took in practice. I found it interesting that one of the first people he spoke to when walking onto the field mid-practice was pass rusher Matthew Judon, who was extremely candid about his contract status the day prior. Not long after that conversation, Kraft was also seen speaking to executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf as practice concluded. Of course, it’s impossible to know the context of those conversations unless the individuals involved tell us, but it certainly garnered some attention in the media tent.
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Author: Tyler Sullivan
July 25, 2024 | 5:56 pm
