Bailey Zappe was reportedly caught off guard by the New England Patriots’ decision to waive him earlier this week.
The second-year quarterback, of course, went unclaimed and was signed back to the club’s practice squad. Zappe and fellow sophomore Matt Corral, a 2022 third-round pick of the Carolina Panthers, are expected to compete for the backup second-stringer job behind Mac Jones.
Speaking on the “Patriots Unfiltered” podcast (h/t of Patriots Wire), Evan Lazar of the team’s official website said that Zappe was “blindsided” by the Patriots’ initial decision to waive him.
“The word that I got from somebody in Zappe’s camp was blindsided. ‘We were as blindsided as you,'” Lazar said.
Zappe was among the most surprising roster waives, given his strong performances for the Patriots a year ago. He nearly upset Aaron Rodgers’ Green Bay Packers on the road in his debut then proceeded to win his only two starts.
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In four game appearances, Zappe completed 70.7 percent of pass attempts for 781 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. Many even wondered if there’d be a quarterback controversy in New England this year, but Bill Belichick’s decision to cut Zappe earlier this week certainly indicates otherwise.
The Patriots are trying to avoid missing the postseason in consecutive years for the first time since 1999 and 2000. They’ll open their 2023 campaign with a home tilt against the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday.
