Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Monday that the team would work through signing another quarterback following the injury to Deshaun Watson. They have now done just that.
To start the news cycle early Tuesday morning, the Browns are signing quarterback Bailey Zappe from the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad. Watson ruptured his Achilles against the Cincinnati Bengals and now the Browns make a move. The news was first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Zappe was a fourth-round pick of the New England Patriots in the 2022 NFL Draft. Some folks may remember Zappe from the great game that he played against the Browns as a rookie. Zappe defeated the Browns in 2022 and dropped 300 passing yards and two touchdowns in the process.
Over the last two seasons, Zappe has appeared in 14 games with eight starts. During that time, he threw for 2,053 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
Not only are the Browns dealing with the injury to Watson, but backup quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson has a finger injury as well. It is unclear whether the Browns will roll with DTR or Jameis Winston in the future once DTR is fully healthy.
If the UCLA product can’t go Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, it would be Winston starting and Zappe as his backup. Zappe is a 6-foot-1 quarterback that does bring some running ability.
Zappe had an impressive college career at Western Kentucky before being drafted by the Patriots. At times, Zappe showed promise in New England and took the job from Mac Jones at one point.
Cleveland will soon send Watson to the Injured Reserve to make room on the roster for Zappe. Since Cleveland is signing Zappe off of a practice squad, he must be signed to the active roster.
Quarterback carousel seems to be a yearly thing for the Browns and it is shaping up to happen once again with their latest move.
