In the latter years of Bill Belichick's tenure with the Patriots, his questionable draft picks became a focus of the team's demise. It was more apparent once Tom Brady left for the Bucs in 2020, especially on offense, as the legendary quarterback was no longer there to cover up the rest of the group's inefficiencies.
That inevitably led to a pile-up of players considered to be draft busts, most notably wide receiver N'Keal Harry, tight end Dalton Keene, and kicker Chad Ryland. While some spent more than one season on the team in hopes of becoming a bigger part of their weekly game days, they were never solid contributors and raised more questions about Belichick's fitness to continue running the team.
It was a concern at the forefront during the 2023 season, as the quarterback position continued to be the most worrisome part of the roster.
Mac Jones' performance has been on a decline since his rookie year in 2021, some of which could be blamed on the bizarre staff choices during that time. This eventually forced Belichick to bench the former first-rounder, moving second-year quarterback Bailey Zappe up the depth chart to become the starting quarterback.
Because he failed to impress and assert himself as the best option at quarterback, the new regime released Zappe this past offseason since they had Drake Maye serving as the backup to start the season.
Since then, Zappe has signed with the Chiefs practice squad, a great place for the young player to learn from. However, he was eventually signed to the Browns' 53-man roster after Deshaun Watson's season-ending injury. Unfortunately, the team released him earlier this week, but after clearing waivers, he was signed back to Cleveland's active roster.
Given that other teams didn't express much interest in adding him to their team or even their practice squad, even if the plan was for the Browns to re-sign him, it would seem as though Zappe's last chance to thrive in the NFL will be in Cleveland. He has tough competition to beat out, with veteran Jameis Winston serving as the starter and Dorian Thompson-Robinson right behind him.
But the former Patriot will need to prove his value to the team even more now or potentially be out of the league already in 2025.