The Kansas City Chiefs will likely be in the market for a new third quarterback after the Cleveland Browns poached Bailey Zappe off the KC practice squad on the morning of October 22, according to the reporting of NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero.
“A new QB in Cleveland: The Browns are signing Bailey Zappe off the Chiefs practice squad, per sources,” Pelissero informed on Tuesday of Week 8. “With Deshaun Watson’s season over and Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s status in flux, Jameis Winston could start Sunday vs. Baltimore and Zappe would back him up.”
This news comes after Watson suffered a ruptured Achilles on October 20, with backup Thompson-Robinson also suffering a finger injury after taking his place. As Pelissero noted, Zappe will join the Browns’ active roster immediately, giving them a healthy backup quarterback for Week 8 against the Ravens.
The 25-year-old Zappe only joined the Chiefs just after the 53-man deadline this August. He beat out roster cuts Chris Oladokun and Ian Book — who had been competing for the third quarterback role throughout training camp and the preseason — for a spot on the practice squad despite never playing a snap for Kansas City.
Selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Zappe briefly took over for Mac Jones as the Pats’ second attempt at developing a new franchise quarterback after Tom Brady.
He went 2-0 as a rookie, completing 70.7% of passes with a 5 touchdown/3 interception ratio and a passer rating of 100.9, but struggled to replicate those numbers in year two throwing for a 59.9% completion percentage with 9 interceptions and a passer rating of 68.7. Zappe was 2-4 over his final six starts with the Patriots, who have since moved on to Drake Maye.
Chiefs’ QB Factory Continues to Produce Interest
Under head coach Andy Reid, the Chiefs organization has become somewhat of a QB factory for other NFL franchises.
Granted, these prospects don’t always succeed if or when they are poached, or sign elsewhere. But it’s not uncommon for Kansas City’s second or third stringer to garner some interest around the league.
After all, Reid has a knack for getting the most out of his quarterbacks — with Patrick Mahomes being the prime example of that, and players like Alex Smith, Donovan McNabb, Jeff Garcia and even Brett Favre (among others) having their fair share of success under the offensive coach prior to the two-time NFL MVP.
Shane Buechele was the most recent KC quarterback to leave the Chiefs for another organization before Zappe, although he had more of a choice in the matter. Before signing with the Buffalo Bills in 2023, Buechele was nearly poached by the Arizona Cardinals in 2021.
Kansas City ended up promoting him to the 53-man roster at the time, to block said poaching. They did not choose to do the same on October 22, allowing Zappe sign in Cleveland with veteran Carson Wentz currently backing up Mahomes.
Ravens’ Lamar Jackson Passes Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes in MVP Race
After his Monday Night Football five-touchdown onslaught of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 21, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has surpassed Mahomes as the MVP favorite in 2024 according to ESPN BET.
Now, there’s obviously still a long way to go, but Mahomes is going to have to pick up the pace if he aims to keep up with Jackson — who is producing at an incredible rate.
The reigning NFL MVP already has over 2,200 yards and 17 total touchdowns for the Ravens in his first seven starts, with just 2 interceptions and a passer rating of 118.0. His weaker areas are his 5 fumbles, as well as a QBR of 69.4.
Having said that, Mahomes’ 2024 QBR is actually lower, at 57.8 out of 100. For reference, the Chiefs superstar had a QBR of 79.0 or higher during his two MVP campaigns.
The interceptions have hurt Mahomes most in 2024, having thrown 8 compared to just 6 passing touchdowns and 1 rushing TD. Mahomes has yet to fumble the football, and he’s produced a little over 1,500 total yards in six starts.
