The 3-13 Cleveland Browns are turning to Bailey Zappe as their starting quarterback for Saturday’s season finale in Baltimore, a team source confirmed.
Zappe will become the 40th starting quarterback of the Browns’ post-1999 era. For the second straight season and third time in the team’s new era, the Browns will have four different starting quarterbacks in a single season.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski did not formally make the announcement Thursday because he said he wanted to talk to both Zappe and Dorian Thompson-Robinson and inform them of his decision. Earlier in the week, Stefanski said both quarterbacks would likely play.
With a loss Saturday, the Browns can guarantee themselves either pick No. 2 or No. 3 in April’s NFL Draft. If New England loses to Buffalo, the Browns could still end up with the No. 1 pick. The Ravens win the AFC North with a victory.
Zappe was signed off the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad in the wake of Deshaun Watson’s October Achilles tendon injury. Zappe has spent most of the last 10 weeks on Cleveland’s active roster. He warmed up on the sideline early in the team’s Week 16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals after Thompson-Robinson suffered a calf injury, but Thompson-Robinson finished the game.
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Zappe started eight games for New England in 2022 and 2023. He’s 4-4 as a starter, and in 2022 he piloted a Patriots’ blowout of the Browns in Cleveland. The Patriots drafted Zappe in the fourth round in 2022 after his college career at Houston Baptist and Western Kentucky. Zappe was let go by the Patriots during the final summer cutdowns in August, then landed on the Chiefs’ practice squad.
In 14 career appearances, Zappe has completed 63.2 percent of his passes with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The Browns will play Saturday without tight end David Njoku (knee) and running back Jerome Ford (ankle). Earlier this week, wide receiver Cedric Tillman (concussion) was placed on injured reserve.
With the season long over, the Browns benched Jameis Winston ahead of Week 16 after Winston threw eight interceptions in a three-game span. Stefanski officially named Thompson-Robinson the starter on Dec. 18. The Browns totaled nine points in Thompson-Robinson’s two starts, losses at Cincinnati and versus Miami.
At 3.8 yards per attempt over his two seasons, Thompson-Robinson is tied for last among 479 quarterbacks who have logged at least 10 appearances and 100 attempts since 1970.
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(Photo: Nick Cammett / Getty Images)
