Patriots’ Latest Practice Shows Major Change In QB Rotation

FOXBORO, Mass. -- Has Bailey Zappe leapfrogged Mac Jones on the Patriots' depth chart? It appeared that way in New England's first Week 13 practice.

With the important disclaimer that reporters only are allowed to watch a brief snippet of each Patriots practice, Zappe looked like No. 1 quarterback Wednesday as the team prepared for Sunday's matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium.

The second-year pro took nearly every rep during the lone drill held with media present, with Jones watching from behind. When Zappe subbed out, he was replaced by practice squadder Malik Cunningham, who saw a notable uptick in QB reps.

Jones did not take any reps during the period, nor did third-stringer Will Grier, who recently re-signed to the practice squad.

Small sample size, but Mac Jones didn’t attempt a pass in the only drill reporters were present for today. Bailey Zappe took the vast majority, with Malik Cunningham rotating in for a few.

Big change from what we saw last week. pic.twitter.com/yPpT5ustD8

— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) November 29, 2023

Jones has started every game this season but was benched in four of them, including the last two. Zappe played the entire second half of last week's loss to the New York Giants, going 9-for-14 for 54 yards with an interception.

While Wednesday's development didn't guarantee Zappe will start against the Chargers, it was a notable shift for New England. A similar practice window last week saw Jones and Zappe rotating, with the former repping first. Head coach Bill Belichick said Jones received the "majority" of first-team reps ahead of the Giants game.

Belichick did mention an "injury situation" Wednesday when asked about this week's QB depth chart, so it's possible Jones will appear on the team's first Week 13 injury report, which will be released Wednesday afternoon.

"I'm not going to make any announcements on our lineup at any position," the head coach said in his morning news conference. "It doesn’t matter what the position is. We'll see how practice goes, see if everybody is ready to go. Hopefully, everybody is ready to go. See what the injury situation is, and we’ll go with who we think is best on Sunday."

No Matchup Found

Click here to enter a different Sportradar ID.

The Cunningham aspect was interesting, as well. The athletic undrafted rookie primarily has worked as a receiver this season, according to multiple Patriots coaches, with occasional scout-team reps behind center. He backed up Jones during New England's Week 6 loss in Las Vegas but hasn't played since.

Cunningham recently told the Boston Herald that he hadn't taken regular quarterback reps since before that Raiders game. The 25-year-old hasn't seen extended playing time there since New England's preseason opener, when he led an impressive touchdown drive against Houston Texans backups.

"If we’re seeing offenses that run plays that he’s very good at running -- teams like Philadelphia, the first Miami game -- then he gets, I mean, they’re practice squad reps, but they’re also reps on things that he does," Belichick said before practice.

"He’s kind of a unique player. Things aren’t straight-line with him. He’s different than probably every other player we have on the team, so he’s handled differently."

The 2-9 Patriots are scheduled to practice again Thursday and Friday before hosting 4-7 LA on Sunday.