Zappe-Mania is back on for the New England Patriots. Well, at least as a backup quarterback.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on Saturday that second-year quarterback Bailey Zappe is re-signing to the Patriots’ 53-man roster, ahead of Sunday’s regular season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.
With Zappe back on the depth chart, the corresponding move for the Patriots was releasing backup quarterback Matt Corral, per the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The move makes sense considering Zappe has had far more time with Bill O’Brien’s offense than Corral. If Jones went down with an injury, Zappe would be the best possible candidate to step in as a replacement. He did so last season with Matt Patricia calling the offensive plays and went 2-0 as a starter.
Of course, the Patriots are praying they never have to turn to the No. 2 option, but given the ferocious defense they’ll be playing and the questionable state of their offensive line, they have to be ready for everything in this matchup.
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