Where Will Patriots QB Moves This Offseason Leave Zappe?

When the situation surrounding New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick finally reaches a resolution, the team will then have to tackle its next biggest problem, regardless of who is ultimately leading the team in 2024.

Sitting with the number three overall pick, the team is in position to target the quarterback position, giving them the ability to at least bring in another player as they try and start the development process all over again.

As it currently sits, it appears the decision will come down to Drake Maye or Caleb Williams, although it’s entirely possible neither player will be available by the time New England makes its pick.  Another option could be LSU’s Jayden Daniels, whose stock is on the rise.

It’s also entirely possible the Patriots could trade back and try to garner more assets, allowing them to possibly select a tackle while still targeting a quarterback at some point in the early rounds.

However, at the top of the draft, it sounds like both of the two teams ahead of them will be taking one of those two names off the board.  The rumors coming out of Chicago, who holds the #1 overall selection, is that they’re moving on from Justin Fields, and that means they’ll potentially be in the mix to take one of those players.

The Commanders at #2 will likely take one as well, as they saw Sam Howell emerge for a good portion of the season, only to fall back down to earth at the end of the year.

Howell finished with the most sacks taken in the NFL (65) as well as the most interceptions (21), neither of which is encouraging.  You can make the argument that he played in a pass-happy offense after also leading the NFL in attempts (612), but the turnovers are the biggest issue.  Contrast that with the 62 sacks rookie Bryce Young took in 2023, with Young throwing just 10 interceptions despite the fact he had just 85 fewer attempts (527).

For anyone in New England who was displeased each time Mac Jones fell on the wrong end of either one of those statistics, taking a sack or committing a turnover in a key situation is the easiest way to lose football games.  It’s also part of the big reason why the Commanders joined New England at 4-13 to finish out the season.

The Patriots overall finished taking a total of 48 sacks of their own, while also finishing the year with a combined 21 interceptions.  Bailey Zappe’s 25 sacks eclipsed Jones’ total of 22 despite playing fewer games, although  taking more sacks didn’t stop Zappe from throwing interceptions.  Zappe finished with 9 interceptions on the year, just 3 fewer than Jones (12).

With that in mind, the Patriots are going to find themselves in need of dipping their toes back into the quarterback market on some level.  One other area that was talked about this season was New England’s need to add a veteran, and if Belichick stays, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Jimmy Garoppolo finally makes his return to Foxboro.

Anyone who knows how much Belichick likes Garoppolo shouldn’t be shocked if he’s part of the equation heading into next season.  After fizzling out in San Francisco and again in Las Vegas this past season, Garoppolo will presumably have no issue going somewhere he’s wanted, even if it potentially means in a role that may not be long-term.

For a team that needs a serviceable veteran bridge quarterback as they try to develop whoever their future player will be, that seems like a reasonable scenario.  But from there, that’s when things start to get a little complicated.

Patriots Need to Find a Partner For Jones

The next challenge they’ll face is going to be shopping for a trade partner for Jones, who likely won’t be part of the equation next season.

Despite the fact that Josh McDaniels has been rumored as someone potentially headed back to the organization, that’s probably more of a big-picture move than anything else.  McDaniels, who was behind Jones’ terrific rookie campaign, probably wouldn’t be enough to fix the former Alabama quarterback, making any shot at a rehabilitation for the embattled quarterback an unlikely option.

How much of a market there might be for Jones remains to be seen, but the move will be necessary.  The Patriots are going to need to make some dramatic changes, and taking the gamble on hoping he’ll return to any reasonable facsimile of the guy we saw two years ago doesn’t seem realistic.

Getting a 5th round pick would have to be considered a win, given where Jones’ stock currently sits.  It wouldn’t be much, but it would give New England some additional draft capital they wouldn’t have otherwise had and it removes a player who clearly has no future here from the equation and off the books.

Will the Patriots Continue to Look at Rourke?

After that, it gets a little interesting.  Newcomer Nathan Rourke continues to be a player who could be a factor next season in the Patriots QB room, with people in Jacksonville upset to see him go after New England snagged him off waivers late in the season.

The former CFL standout had a terrific preseason and showed a lot of promise, with multiple teams reportedly in the mix, including the Texans, when the Jaguars gambled and lost trying to pass him through waivers.

Rourke apparently made a fair amount of progress in the last few weeks he was here.  Belichick said after the loss to the Jets that Rourke had a good week of practice and earned the back-up spot behind Zappe in the finale, while also praising Rourke’s work ethic over the last month.

CFL coach Scott Milanovich talked about Rourke recently, saying that it’s hard to come out of that league and make it in the NFL, but getting his foot in the door gave Rourke a chance to start to prove himself.  Now he just needs to show what he’s capable of.

“I watched him play some in the preseason, and I thought he did an amazing job,” said Milanovich via Justin Dunk of 3DownNation. “The hardest thing is to get your foot in the door and he did that, then you gotta catch a break.”

Milanovich is no stranger to this journey.  The former undrafted free agent out of Maryland spent four seasons in the NFL and he knows what Rourke is up against.  But after showing something last summer, he wasn’t surprised that Rourke garnered some interest.

However, the fact Rourke caught Belichick’s eye is something Milanovich feels is a positive, and he believes Rourke will get his shot if he can continue making the most of each opportunity.

“He didn’t catch his break yet, so what he has to do is just stick around long enough till he catches his break and then he’s got to run with it,” said Milanovich.  “I look at it thinking it was an extremely successful season for him because he got his foot in the door. Obviously, somebody else wanted him. Bill Belichick wanted him, so I think that’s a positive.”

Where Does Zappe Fit Into All of This?

One thing that shouldn’t surprise anyone in April would be for the Patriots to make more than one selection at quarterback, taking one in the early rounds, and probably taking another later on as they try and round out their room and create as much competition as they can ahead of training camp.

With that in mind, that may leave Zappe in a tough spot, as the odds may not be all that great that the club would take five quarterbacks into camp next August.  Even if they only make one selection, it still potentially puts Zappe back at the end of the line heading into 2024.

Zappe’s already said he’s looking forward to competing for the role regardless of who they bring in here.  But if things play out the way it feels like they might, the former Western Kentucky quarterback will certainly have his work cut out for him.

His situation is certainly frustrating.  After finally getting a shot to start, Zappe played reasonably well in a downpour against the Chargers, with the second-year quarterback also showing us something the following week after he threw three touchdowns against the Steelers.

He followed that up with a decent showing against the Chiefs and then had a terrific game against Denver, looking like a player on the rise ahead of their showdown against the Bills.

But Zappe fell flat in Buffalo and then couldn’t do anything in a snowstorm in the finale, which left him where he’s more or less been each time he’s been out there.  He’s had some good moments, but not enough to seize the opportunity.

That could be the reason why he ends up on the outside looking in again in 2024, depending on how things ultimately play out.

This is a Patriots team that needs to get back into contention and start playing great (not good, not average) football on offense.  That obviously starts at quarterback, and it also likely means that the “reconstruction” Belichick spoke of on Monday is going to start at the position where it matters most.

With the NFL becoming a league full of players with strong arms and increased athleticism, the Patriots are now back to the drawing board as they try and turn the page hoping for substantially different results in 2024.

That will probably see them end up with a slate that’s wiped clean from where it currently stands heading into next season.  And unfortunately for Zappe, it could include a quarterback group that may look much different the next time we see them.