Here’s who Patriots want as their backup QB

As of Wednesday morning, Mac Jones was the lone player on the Patriots quarterback depth chart.

That’s expected to change later today.

According to The Athletic, the Patriots plan is to have Bailey Zappe remain the team’s top backup quarterback, but on the practice squad. That’ll only happen if Zappe, who was cut on Tuesday, clears waivers at noon today and opts to sign with the Patriots practice squad over any other offers.

If Zappe is claimed by another team, the Patriots will add another player at the position. There are several experienced quarterbacks on the free-agent market, but it’s unknown how much interest, if any, the Patriots have. According to multiple league sources, the Patriots have yet to show any interest in veterans Carson Wentz and Nick Foles.

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The Patriots made the surprising decision to cut Zappe on Tuesday. the second-year quarterback had a rough training camp and preseason. He looked visibly frustrated in the team’s preseason finale against the Tennessee Titans. However, it was shocking when the team cut him along with Malik Cunningham. That left Jones as the only quarterback on the roster.

Drafted in the fourth round last year, Zappe had a solid rookie season. He started two games for an injured Jones and went 2-0 as the starting quarterback. Zappe played in four games total as a rookie, finishing with 781 yards passing to go with five touchdowns and three interceptions.

Zappe entered this offseason in a quarterback competition with Jones. However, that never materialized as Jones decisively won that battle and looked like the Patriots starter all offseason. Still, it was surprising to see the Patriots cut Zappe after what he showed in limited action as a rookie,

“You can just worry about the things you can control,” Matthew Slater said on Tuesday when asked about the quarterback room. “You just trust that the coaches always know what’s in the best interest of the football team, and put us in the best position to have success.

“I have mixed emotions about it. I love Bailey (Zappe). He knows how I feel about him. He’s one of my favorite kids all-time.”