Patriots Rumors: Bailey Zappe, Malik Cunningham Agree to Practice Squad Contracts

After the NFL's roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, Mac Jones was the only quarterback left on the New England Patriots roster. That's no longer the case.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Zappe cleared waivers on Wednesday and will return to New England as part of its practice squad. Malik Cunningham will also reportedly be back in the fold.

Zappe and Cunningham were both waived Tuesday, solidifying Jones' status as the Patriots' No. 1 quarterback. The move was somewhat surprising after Jones' lackluster performance last season and Zappe's solid showings in limited action. Even Patriots players were caught off guard by Zappe's release.

"Certainly something that is, I guess, surprising for a lot of us, but that's just the nature of the business," said veteran Matthew Slater, who is a team captain and the longest-tenured player on the Patriots. "I love Bailey. He knows how I feel about him. He's one of my favorite kids of all time."

In two starts while Jones was injured, Zappe led the Patriots to two wins and won over the New England fanbase. He finished the year with 781 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 70.7 percent of his passes.

There had been some speculation entering this offseason that Zappe would be able to challenge Jones for the starting job. However, that notion quickly vanished after Zappe's performance in the preseason.

The 2022 fourth-round pick played in all three of New England's games, throwing for 253 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions on 58.8 percent passing. However, he struggled with pocket awareness and was sacked six times. He also fumbled the ball three times, losing it once.

The Patriots will open the 2023 campaign on Sept. 10 against the Philadelphia Eagles.