New report reveals major shakeup in Patriots season
Per ESPN's Mike Reiss , New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe appears to be the starter, replacing Mac Jones.
In the portion of practice available to the media Wednesday, Zappe took the most reps as signal-caller, and rookie Malik Cunningham took the second most. Jones, who has started nearly every game for the Patriots since 2021, did not take a rep during the brief time Reiss was present.
Jones has struggled this season, tossing 10 touchdowns to 11 interceptions and has a 64.9% completion rate. He has been benched mid-game for Zappe three times this season and has caught much of the blame for New England's record (2-9).
The move to bench Jones is a telltale sign that his time in New England is coming to a close. Jones showed promise his rookie year in 2021, but the 25-year-old's performance has dipped dramatically since.
Zappe is of the same, if not worse, quality than Jones. In the brief times he has played this season, he has gone 19-of-39 (48.7%) for 158 yards and two interceptions.
All of Zappe's appearances have come in the middle or end of games, after Jones' benching, so his performance may improve if he has a chance to mentally and physically prepare the entire week as QB1. Zappe has called coming into games late "one of the hardest parts" about what he's done.
If Zappe starts and struggles, Cunningham might play. In the preseason, he made a highlight touchdown, but aside from that, he hasn't been involved much.
The Patriots are 2-9 and one game back from the first pick in a QB-rich NFL Draft.
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