New England Patriots rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe has looked sharp since making his NFL debut a few weeks back. He’s 2-0 as a starter and gotten the team back to .500 since taking over for Mac Jones.
But with Jones on the mend, will head coach Bill Belichick keep Zappe under center or give Jones his job back? According to one report, it’ll be the latter.
On Thursday, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported “there is no QB controversy in New England.” He said that Jones will be the starter when he’s healthy enough to play.
On paper that seems like a very cut and dry statement. But as we’ve seen “healthy enough to play” can mean different things depending on how well the replacement is playing.
NFL teams are prone to rushing players back from injuries when the backups they have are terrible. By contrast, teams that have a backup playing very well will sometimes ease the starter back in – maybe extending their recovery a bit.
Time will tell what the Patriots actually feel about Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe.
Right now, the Patriots have a good thing going and could find themselves in prime playoff position by mid-November with the way they’re playing now.
When will Jones return to the starting lineup? Will he be back before their Week 10 bye next month?