Earlier this week, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick refused to shoot down the idea that a quarterback controversy is brewing in New England.
“We’ll see what it looks like today and go from there,” Belichick told reporters.
Second-year quarterback Mac Jones has been out since Week 3 due to an ankle injury. Rookie signal-caller Bailey Zappe has been filling in for him, completing 75.0 percent of his passes for 287 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport addressed the Patriots’ quarterback situation.
Rapoport believes Jones is the starter in New England. However, he won’t rule out a potential quarterback change.
“I believe Mac Jones is the starter, but he had a couple of rough games and tried to do a little too much,” Rapoport said. “Belichick is never going to get ahead of himself, so he’s never going to address it until he has to. He wants to judge the whole product. But let’s say Bailey Zappe goes out and wins this week and looks really good, it’s gonna get interesting. I think Mac Jones is the starter but it’s not a slam dunk.”
The Patriots will face the Cleveland Browns this Sunday.
While a win over the Browns could complicate matters in New England, it would improve the Patriots’ record to 3-3.