Browns add ANOTHER quarterback... and a potential threat to third-stringer Shedeur Sanders
The Cleveland Browns have signed quarterback Bailey Zappe, adding another personality to the team's quarterback room and challenge Shedeur Sanders for possible playing time.
NFL teams were mandated to cut down their rosters to 53 men by Tuesday, with Sanders making the team as one of three signal callers on the active roster.
The Browns move to sign Zappe comes after he spent the preseason with the Kansas City Chiefs, unsuccessfully attempting to become the backup to Patrick Mahomes.
Zappe is expected to be part of the Browns' practice squad, with the 26-year-old signal caller not fitting the profile of a typical waiting-in-the-wings quarterback, per ESPN.
Zappe has been in the NFL since 2022, and has had a long starting stint in the league, coming with the New England Patriots two seasons ago.
Typically, practice-squad spots go to players who need weeks of development and could be solid players in the future, not ones with as much NFL experience as Zappe.
The Cleveland Browns have reportedly signed quarterback Bailey Zappe on Wednesday
Zappe adds another personality to Cleveland's quarterback room alongside Shedeur Sanders
Zappe's addition underscores the Browns' quarterback situation, with Flacco, 40, in the driver's seat.
Flacco's two active backups, Sanders and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, have a combined zero minutes played in the NFL.
Not relying on a player in his fifth decade on Earth, or someone who has never played in the NFL before highlights the need for Zappe.
Gabriel was named second-string quarterback, with Sanders slotting in behind him. Zappe would currently be fourth in line.
The Browns had as many as five quarterbacks on their roster during training camp, eventually releasing Tyler Huntley and trading Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Cleveland will likely be an underdog in his first six contests of the season, all against division rivals or a team that made the playoffs last season.
If turbulence occurs, quarterback shuffling is one likely outcome, making Zappe an interesting candidate for elevation to the active roster.
