Report: Chiefs Lose QB Bailey Zappe from Practice Squad to Cleveland Browns

With Deshaun Watson suffering a season-ending injury, the Browns are reportedly poaching Bailey Zappe from the Chiefs' practice squad.

Dec 17, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe (4) on the field against the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs are losing yet another player but this time, it isn't due to injury.

According to a Tuesday morning report from Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the back-to-back Super Bowl champs will be without one of their reserve quarterbacks moving forward. Bailey Zappe is signing to the Cleveland Browns' active roster, per Pelissero, from the Kansas City practice squad.

"A new QB in Cleveland: The #Browns are signing Bailey Zappe off the #Chiefs practice squad, per sources," the tweet began. "With Deshaun Watson’s season over and Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s status in flux, Jameis Winston could start Sunday vs. Baltimore and Zappe would back him up"

With Watson suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon in Sunday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, former fifth-round pick Thompson-Robinson entered the game and completed 11 of 24 passes for 82 yards and a pair of interceptions. He then suffered a finger injury which prompted Winston, the emergency signal-caller, to play. Because that injury could linger a bit, Cleveland is making the wise call to add another quarterback into the fold prior to this weekend's game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Zappe, 25, has appeared in 14 regular-season NFL games and made eight starts. All of that experience came with the New England Patriots, where he threw for 2,053 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. After being waived by the club earlier this year, Zappe latched on with the Chiefs' practice squad at the end of August. At the time, Joshua Brisco of Kansas City Chiefs On SI described Zappe as a potentially "intriguing longer-term backup behind (Patrick) Mahomes."

With Chris Oladokun also no longer a part of the organization, Kansas City will move forward with Mahomes and Carson Wentz as its two primary quarterbacks. For Zappe, it's an opportunity to potentially move one or two rungs up the ladder in a new spot.

UPDATE: Per Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest, Oladokun is signing to the Chiefs' practice squad in the aftermath of Zappe joining the Browns.

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