Patriots Cut Their QBs; Now What?

Mac Jones is the only quarterback on the 53-man roster for the New England Patriots after they cut Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham.

With the passing of Tuesday's NFL's roster deadline, reports emerged about the New England Patriots surprising cuts of both backup quarterbacks Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham as they trimmed their roster from roughly 90 players to the 53-man limit. The shocking releases leave starter Mac Jones as the lone survivor in the quarterback room, leaving many to wonder what the Patriots are doing. 

Thanks to the practice squad, this may not be the end for Zappe and Cunningham in Foxboro, yet they cannot return to New England without first clearing waivers. Even then, though, it seems like a big risk by the Patriots to outright release their backup quarterbacks without already having another option in place just in case one gets signed elsewhere. 

This means the Patriots could be sweating out the next 18 hours until the waiver wire closes, which will then allow teams to start adding players to their practice squad. 

This seems like the Patriots' "plan A," according to The Athletic's Jeff Howe, who explained that due to the increased injuries on the offensive line, New England is willing to take the risk as they hope to open up spots later for their return to the roster after moving players to the injured reserve.

But... if plan A doesn't work out accordingly, and another team signs one or both of the Patriots' now former backups, they will be forced to look for other options. So, who could those be? 

Brian Hoyer

The 37-year-old journeyman seems to have a knack for finding his back to the Patriots. Except this time, it may be a bit more complicated as he is currently with former Patriots offensive coordinator and current Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels. 

Yet, after a standout preseason from rookie fourth-round pick Aidan O'Connell, maybe the Raiders will be willing to part with the veteran Hoyer in a trade, thus allowing the former Purdue quarterback the opportunity to back up another former Patriot Jimmy Garoppolo.

Colt McCoy

Another veteran backup is the now-former Arizona Cardinal Colt McCoy. Despite starting quarterback Kyle Murray set to miss the season-opener, the Cardinals cut the 36-year-old in favor of Joshua Dobbs. 

While the Patriots have no prior connection to the former Texas Longhorn, they did get to face him last season in their 27-13 win over the Cardinals in Week 14, as McCoy came off the bench in relief of Murray, who tore his ACL plays into the game.

If the Patriots choose a veteran backup, not many current free-agent quarterbacks are better than McCoy.

Will Grier 

This one is more outside of the box than the three options we will list. The former Carolina Panthers and, most recently, Dallas Cowboys quarterback is coming off his best preseason performance despite being told beforehand that he would be cut after a trade for Trey Lance. 

Grier completed 29 of 35 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns through the air while adding another 53 yards and two more touchdowns with his legs, leading the Cowboys to a preseason finale win over the Raiders. 

At 28 years old, Grier would give the Patriots a relatively young backup quarterback behind Jones, who could even potentially develop more under the guidance of Bill O'Brien.