There were quite a few surprising transactions made on Tuesday as NFL teams trim their rosters down to 53 players. Among the most unexpected cuts across the league was the Patriots’ decision to cut not one, but both of quarterback Mac Jones’s backups.
Both Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham were reportedly informed that they did not make the 53-man roster in New England, leaving Mac Jones as the organization’s lone quarterback as of Tuesday.
Heading into the offseason, Zappe was anticipated to compete with Jones for the starting role, while Cunningham, an undrafted rookie, had been impressing during training camp and in the preseason. Despite all that, the Patriots opted against including either quarterback on their 53-man roster, a decision which caught many NFL fans off guard.
After the roster move was reported, the NFL world rushed to social media to express their confusion over the quarterback situation in New England.
A moment of silence to remember the three weeks that Patriots fans thought Zappe was the future of the franchise. https://t.co/AfHE1CtgT8
— Schlasser (@UrinatingTree) August 29, 2023
An absolute stunner. Zappe didn’t have a good camp, but I didn’t expect this at all. The #Patriots must be looking elsewhere for a backup quarterback. https://t.co/8EiQR9gmC3
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) August 29, 2023
Fever, over.
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) August 29, 2023
Mac Jones clearly outperformed Zappe this summer, but that's still a surprise. https://t.co/P856GkzZmh
For the 10 seconds that I assumed Bailey Zappe being waived confirmed Malik Cunningham made the Patriots, I was incorrect. https://t.co/QcxkgpF65X
— Dan Kelley (@DanKelley66) August 29, 2023
Did the Patriots just cut all of their backup quarterbacks? https://t.co/QRNyVKJPr0
— Michael Marino (@MarinoMLB) August 29, 2023
The rumors are true. I am going to be the backup QB for the Patriots. https://t.co/Hc2rA3c8hK
— Mike Nash (@MikeNash15) August 29, 2023
The #Patriots currently have one QB on the roster.
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) August 29, 2023
His name is Michael McCorkle Jones. https://t.co/7aPHj2n4ob
Bill Belichick after he releases Mac Jones and names himself the Patriots starting Quarterback pic.twitter.com/38jf5J4nrB
— TCL (@TitleTalkTCL) August 29, 2023
A look at the #Patriots QB depth chart:
— Henry McKenna (@henrycmckenna) August 29, 2023
Mac Jones
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