The Patriots hosted their first team practice after their week 11 bye on Tuesday, where Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe nearly split repetitions. Jones led off the positional drill and alternated reps with Zappe. Jones concluded the drill with slightly more reps than Zappe; however, Zappe’s increased workload in practice should be noted given New England’s current offensive play and 2-8 record. A potential change at quarterback is a possibility.
During his Tuesday morning press conference, Bill Belichick would not name a starting quarterback for New England’s Sunday matchup against the Tommy DeVito-led Giants.
“I’ve told all of the players the same thing: ‘Be ready to go.’ Hopefully, they will be,” Belichick stated.
Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien also would not confirm a starting quarterback for this week during his Monday press conference.
“For me, I basically get everybody ready to play… At the end of the day, Bill (Belichick) will make that decision at some point,” said O’Brien.
Many fans and media influencers have pointed to Will Grier, New England’s third-string QB, as a possible starting candidate over Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe. Others continue to plead for the team to give undrafted rookie quarterback/receiver Malik Cunningham a chance at the starting job. At the moment, neither Grier nor Cunningham seem poised to start on Sunday, given that they did not see a single rep during the positional drill that was open to the media.
During New England’s Week 10 matchup against the Colts, Mac Jones was benched in favor of Bailey Zappe for the team’s final offensive drive of the game. Throughout the game, New England’s offense struggled to put the ball in the end zone, and Jones was benched after a head-turning interception late in the game. However, Zappe did not perform any better. With a new set of downs and the game on the line, he decided to throw a deep ball directly into triple coverage. That ball was intercepted, and New England fell to 2-8.
If Bailey Zappe earns the starting nod over Mac Jones on Sunday, how much of a difference will he make to a New England offense with many issues outside of quarterback play? With the Patriots’ playoff hopes erased and the team currently in prime position to draft one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2024 NFL draft, a change is not necessarily needed.
It’s important to note that Mac Jones remains under contract for the 2024 season. If New England elects to draft Jones’ starting replacement in the upcoming draft, the former Alabama quarterback could be demoted to the Patriots’ backup. Therefore, why not ride out the rest of the season with Mac Jones under center? Is a change at quarterback really needed when the team has no proven alternate option?
