How Josh McDaniels Explained Ex-Patriots Wideout’s Surprise INT

Former New England Patriots wide receiver Isaiah Zuber caught two passes against his old team Friday night. One was thrown by Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Chase Garbers; the other, by Patriots QB Bailey Zappe.

Wait, what?

No, Zuber didn’t switch teams midway through the Raiders’ 23-6 preseason victory at Allegiant Stadium. He switched positions.

After beginning the game on offense, Zuber, who’s fighting for a spot on the Raiders’ 53-man roster made a fourth-quarter cameo in Las Vegas’ defensive backfield. With just under seven minutes remaining, an errant Zappe pass sailed over the head of wideout Lil’Jordan Humphrey and straight to Zuber.

It was the first career interception for the 25-year-old, who’d never played an NFL snap on defense before Friday night.

Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels, who coached Zuber in 2020 as New England’s offensive coordinator, explained after the game how the receiver’s jump to defense came to be.

“That’s a great example of what our team has become,” McDaniels told reporters, as transcribed by MassLive.com. “Unselfish, willing to do whatever is asked of them. We mentioned something to Isaiah (on Friday) about it. We walked through a few things for him to be able to help us in case that situation came up. It did, he was ready to go. He made a great play. … We have a lot of guys that are playing multiple roles across their side of the ball. It just so happened that Isaiah was able to do that. … I commend him for being ready to go.”

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Zuber joined the Patriots as an undrafted rookie two years ago, appearing in four games and spending most of the 2020 season on the practice squad. Since then, he’s bounced around to five different franchises, including a stint with the USFL’s Houston Gamblers.

McDaniels’ Raiders roster is loaded with Patriots alums, and Zuber wasn’t the only one to stand out Friday night.

Quarterback Jarrett Stidham opened the game with two scoring drives and several chunk-play completions against the Patriots’ starting defense, and edge rusher Tashawn Bower tallied two sacks, including one against the Mac Jones-led starting offense.

It was a night to forget for the current Patriots, who have a lot to fix in the two weeks before their regular-season opener.