The Cleveland Browns lost quarterback Deshaun Watson for the season against the Cincinnati Bengals as he ruptured his Achilles during the second quarter of that contest.
Cleveland made a move early today to add a third quarterback to the roster, signing Bailey Zappe off the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad.
Zappe entered the league in 2022 as a fourth-round selection by the New England Patriots, and he remained with the squad until the 53-man roster cutdown in August this year.
While he’s struggled to find his footing in the NFL, the third-year quarterback’s addition could signify head coach Kevin Stefanski’s decision on what direction his offense will take without Watson helming it.
Collegiately, Zappe played for both Houston Christian and Western Kentucky in offenses that were more akin to the three- and four-receiver base sets that Cleveland has run this year.
His success at those schools in a similar offense as the Browns run seems to signal Stefanski is willing to continue with a pass-friendly offense despite the team’s lack of success with it thus far.
Zappe’s last season at Western Kentucky was among the best ever for a college quarterback as he completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 5,967 yards – a college record at the FBS level – and 62 touchdowns.
He earned multiple opportunities to play for the Patriots over the past two seasons, starting eight of the 14 contests he participated in.
In those appearances, he’s completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 2,053 yards and 11 touchdowns.
He’s also thrown 12 interceptions, however.
Zappe’s NFL career could hit the reset button as he potentially earns playing time if either veteran Jameis Winston falters or second-year athlete Dorian Thompson-Robinson does not produce for the remainder of the season.
NEXT: Insider Reveals Dorian Thompson-Robinson's Status After Injury