2023 AFC Notable Cuts: QB Bailey Zappe No Match for Mac Jones

Last year, the Patriots flirted with the idea of replacing their No. 1 pick out of Alabama, but Zappe couldn’t show enough this preseason to stick.

When NFL rosters get trimmed from 90 to 53 across the league, it’s the ugliest bit of business on the sport’s calendar.

Each summer, a whopping 1,184 players will be released, with 16 players each landing on the 32 practice squads. Meanwhile, others are finished in professional football and onto their life’s work.

However, we’re going to look at the biggest surprise cuts in the AFC.

QB Bailey Zappe

Of all the cuts, this was the most surprising. Last year, the Patriots were seemingly flirting with the idea of sitting Mac Jones to give Zappe a chance, something which happened briefly against the Bears on a Monday night. Ultimately, though, Zappe couldn’t show enough this preseason to stick, despite throwing for 8.5 yards per attempt and five touchdowns over three games.

Zappe couldn’t show enough this preseason to stick, despite throwing for 8.5 yards per attempt and five touchdowns over three games :: Andrew Nelles/USA Today Sports

CB Desmond King

King’s release by the Texans was truly a stunner. While Houston is clearly trying to get younger, King is only 28 years old and spent all of the preseason running with the starters. Additionally, King made 89 tackles and had two interceptions last season. Still, Houston is moving on, giving another team a nice addition just before Week 1.

WR Phillip Dorsett

Dorsett was brought in by Raiders coach Josh McDaniels this offseason, largely due to his familiarity with the offense dating back to their days with the Patriots. However, that wasn’t enough to keep the veteran 30-year-old receiver around. One of the biggest drawbacks is Dorsett has only played 50 percent of his team’s offensive snaps three times, and he doesn’t contribute on special teams.

WR Stanley Morgan

Morgan has been a special-teams fixture throughout his career. However, he’s only 26 years old and spent his entire four-year career with the Bengals, all alongside coach Zac Taylor. Over the past three seasons, Morgan has played at least 65 percent of special-teams snaps for Cincinnati.

QB Trevor Siemian

Siemian makes the list only because the Bengals haven’t publicly committed to the notion of Joe Burrow recovering enough from his calf strain to play in Week 1. However, with Siemian cut, only Burrow and backup Jake Browning are on the roster. This bodes well for Burrow to avoid missing any time.

QB Shane Buechele

Buechele seemed to be a lock for Kansas City’s roster, either as the backup to Patrick Mahomes or the third-stringer. Instead, Buechele was released by the Chiefs after throwing a pair of interceptions in Saturday’s preseason finale against the Browns. With only two quarterbacks on the roster, Kansas City could make a move.

NT Danny Shelton

Shelton was a good bet to make the Chiefs’ roster after having a nice preseason, along with the continued holdout of star defensive tackle Chris Jones. Unfortunately for the 345-pound nose tackle, Kansas City moved on, potentially with the hopes of putting him on the practice squad for another year.

ST Justin Bethel

Bethel is a special-teamer with little defensive upside, and at 33 years old, this was always a possibility. Still, the three-time Pro Bowler spent last year with the Dolphins and played 83 percent of the special-teams snaps, along with being a rotational player in the secondary.

LB Christian Kirksey

Kirksey is the most accomplished player on this list. The nine-year veteran linebacker spent the past two years with the Texans after stints with the Browns and Packers. In 2022, Kirksey notched 124 tackles (82 solo) in 17 games for Houston, along with three sacks. However, with new coach DeMeco Ryans coming in, Kirksey’s time was up.

CB Sam Webb

Webb might not seem like a surprise cut, but he’s one of the Raiders young defenders who appeared to have some upside after his rookie season. Last year, Webb made the roster as an undrafted free agent and managed to make 32 tackles while playing a minor role on special teams playing 16 percent of the snaps.