The Patriots have provided a couple of surprises while reducing their roster to 53 players.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports the Patriots have waived backup quarterback Bailey Zappe. And Jeff Howe of TheAthletic.com reports New England has also waived Malik Cunningham, who took snaps at QB during the summer.
That leaves the Patriots with just Mac Jones at quarterback, as the club cut Trace McSorley on Monday.
A fourth-round pick in last year’s draft, Zappe appeared in four games with two starts as a rookie. He completed 71 percent of his passes for 781 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions — good for a 100.9 passer rating.
He then received the most playing time of any Patriots quarterback in the preseason. But he completed 59 percent of his passes for 253 yards with one touchdown and no picks.
That apparently was not enough to keep him as New England’s No. 2 QB entering the 2023 season.
Cunningham, an undrafted free agent out of Louisville, was 3-of-6 passing for 19 yards while he rushed for 39 yards on six carries. He also caught a pass and took back a kickoff for 21 yards.
With just one quarterback, the Patriots will surely be scouring the waiver wire and trade market for a backup to Jones over the next few days.