Bailey Zappe was added to a convoluted quarterback picture in Cleveland on Tuesday as the Browns chart a course on offense without Deshaun Watson.
The Browns signed Zappe off of the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad and he’s the only quarterback in the rearranged quarterback room in Cleveland who is thought to be fully healthy.
Zappe made eight career starts with the New England Patriots, including a win over the Browns in Cleveland in 2022 when he passed for a career-high 309 yards and had two TD passes. He was a fourth-round pick in 2022 and has 11 touchdowns, 12 interceptions in 14 appearances.
Watson is out for the season due to a season-ending Achilles injury suffered last week against Cincinnati. Dorian Thompson-Robinson replaced Watson last week but exited with a finger injury. Jameis Winston would become the starter if Thompson-Robinson is unavailable with Zappe as the backup. Thompson-Robinson was 11 of 24 with two interceptions before leaving the game.
Winston entered the game on the final drive of the Week 7 loss to the Bengals with just under four minutes remaining. He threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end David Njoku with 1:27 remaining, then connected with Cedric Tillman for the two-point conversion.
Winston was the No. 3 quarterback last week for the first time after serving as Watson’s backup for the first six weeks of the regular season.
