How Patriots Reportedly Will Handle Mac Jones, QB Position Vs. Raiders

The Patriots reportedly won’t wait until the second half to pull Mac Jones if he struggles again Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.

NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported New England’s starting quarterback, who was benched in the last two games, will have a “short leash” against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Jones is coming off two of the worst performances of his NFL career, turning the ball over a total of six times in consecutive blowout losses to Dallas and New Orleans. Second-year backup Bailey Zappe replaced him late in both of those games, but Rapoport’s report indicated Zappe, who completed just 39% of his passes across the two outings, might not be the next man up Sunday.

“Sources say Jones is on a short leash, and a poor opening few series could potentially trigger another QB to take snaps in Las Vegas,” Rapoport wrote Sunday morning. “It’s just not entirely clear who would take those snaps if Jones is benched.

“Patriots QBs split reps this week, sources say, with Bailey Zappe and Will Grier getting their fair share. While normally it would be obvious that Zappe, the usual backup, would step in as he has the past two weeks, there is a chance that’s not the case. Grier, who New England claimed from the Bengals earlier this season after he performed well in the preseason, has been studying quickly, as well.”

The Patriots’ inactive list, released 90 minutes before kickoff, will provide some clues on that. If New England plans to have Grier be Jones’ No. 2, it cannot designate him as the emergency third QB, as it did in the previous three weeks.

Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard reported earlier in the week that Grier likely had leapfrogged Zappe on the depth chart. The 28-year-old has played for four teams over his five-year career but has not appeared in a regular-season game since 2019.

Intriguing quarterback/receiver Malik Cunningham also was promoted from the practice squad Saturday, signing a three-year contract with the Patriots after impressing behind the scenes. Rapoport reported the Patriots have a “package” in place for the athletic undrafted rookie.

The Patriots badly need a victory Sunday to avoid falling to 1-5 on the season. They lost to the Raiders 30-24 last December on Jakobi Meyers’ disastrous last-second lateral, with Jones also playing arguably his worst game as a pro to that point in the defeat.