Should Patriots Follow Browns’ Rumored QB Trade Route?

The 53-man roster cutdown date is approaching, and the New England Patriots will need to make tough choices.

How many quarterbacks they keep will be one of the key questions for Eliot Wolf and his staff to answer. New England got creative last season when it cut Malik Cunningham and Bailey Zappe but later signed them to the practice squad. It could be Zappe’s fate again this season, but Joe Milton III actually looks like someone worth keeping around.

Zappe’s reps got tougher and tougher to find throughout training camp, and Milton’s performance in the preseason helped justify his position as the third quarterback on the roster. Franchise legend Rob Gronkowski suggested the Patriots trade Zappe to give him a chance to complete elsewhere while also lowering the burden of the coaching staff of having to give him playing time that should go to Drake Maye or Milton.

The backup quarterback market seems to be heating up after The Athletic’s Zac Jackson reported Tuesday that the Cleveland Browns “have discussed a potential trade of second-year quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson with multiple teams.” It’s not clear what Cleveland is asking for the UCLA product, but Jackson speculated that the Browns might be trying to shop Thompson-Robinson to land an offensive lineman.

That strategy is one the Patriots should pursue with Zappe. Granted, you might not get a high-quality lineman in exchange for the third-year quarterback. But New England should explore its options with players who aren’t likely to make the 53-man roster.

It would be a mistake for New England to walk into the 2024 season with four quarterbacks. Jacoby Brissett and Maye are penciled in as the top two guys, and Milton offers much higher upside than Zappe. Other teams obviously know that from his 14 career starts, but teams like the Minnesota Vikings, who lost J.J. McCarthy for the season, might be desperate enough to give you a late-round pick for him.