Patriots Rumors: Bailey Zappe to Be Mac Jones' Backup; Matt Corral on Exempt List

The New England Patriots will open the regular season with the same quarterback depth chart they had at the end of the 2022 campaign.

Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Bailey Zappe will be signed to the Patriots' 53-man roster and serve as Mac Jones' backup for Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Matt Corral, who missed practice on Friday, was placed on the Reserve/Left Squad list.

There was some surprise when the Patriots waived Zappe and Malik Cunningham as part of roster cutdowns on Aug. 29.

It was surprising because Zappe played well when he got on the field last season and Cunningham got positive reviews coming out of the preseason, but also because it left Jones as the only quarterback on the active roster in New England.

Both players made it through waivers, allowing the Patriots to sign them to their practice squad.

Corral was listed as Jones' backup on the unofficial depth chart put out by the team. The Patriots claimed the 24-year-old off waivers from the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 31.

New England's offense should be in a better place this season after the failed Matt Patricia experiment in 2022. Bill O'Brien is joining the coaching staff as offensive coordinator after spending the past two seasons in the same role at Alabama.

Jones is entering his third season as the Patriots' starter under center. He had a difficult 2022 with 2,997 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 14 games. The 25-year-old finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2021 after helping New England make the playoffs.

Zappe seemed like the best choice to be New England's No. 2 quarterback to start the season. He's got the most experience with head coach Bill Belichick after being a fourth-round draft pick in 2022.

The 24-year-old showed some promise in his four games as a rookie. He threw for 781 yards, five touchdowns, three interceptions and completed 70.7 percent of his attempts. The Patriots went 2-0 in two starts when Jones was unavailable due to an ankle injury.

New England will host the reigning NFC champion Eagles at Gillette Stadium on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.