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Patriots training camp battles: Where should the Pats turn for depth at QB? Originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
Editor’s note: With training camp set to begin next week, Patriots Insider’s Phil Perry highlights the key position battles to watch on the practice fields outside Gillette Stadium. We have already achieved it Corners, wide receivers and offensive lineNext up: backup quarterback.
Drake Maye will have everyone’s attention on the Patriots Upcoming boot camp practicesJacoby Brissett and his permanence at the top of the quarterback depth chart will also be closely monitored.
But there’s another battle underway in Foxboro when it comes to the most important position on the field. Both Bailey Zappe and Joe Milton remain on the roster, though there may only be one spot available for them at the end of the summer.
Who will end up being the No. 3 behind center for offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt? And is there any chance that third spot could go to someone who isn’t even with the team right now?
Let’s take a look at some different scenarios…
The favorite
Right now, Joe Milton looks to me like the best bet to land the third quarterback spot on the 53-man roster. If there is one. He’s so physically talented that cutting him at the end of training camp (and thus making him available to other NFL teams who might be interested in signing him) could result in the loss of an asset and a wasted sixth-round draft pick.
Has Milton done anything so far to earn a spot on the roster? Not necessarily. He has shown great arm talent. His frame makes him stand out even next to other big-time pitchers like Maye and Brissett. But he barely got any reps with the team in minicamp, which seemed to be another indication that the Patriots view him as a long-term developmental player.
But in an organization that appears set to take a Packers-like approach to investing in quarterbacks, Milton appears to be the better bet to stay on the roster over Zappe.
The “Remember me?” option
There’s a world in which the Patriots are confident they can add Milton to their practice squad by releasing him at the end of camp and bringing him back once he clears waivers.
After all, no team was willing to take Milton until the Patriots did with the 193rd pick. He’s 24 years old, and by the end of the summer, any team that wants to sign Milton will have to do everything it can to get him to adapt to a new system with a new playbook and a new coaching staff.
Will another team be willing to use a valuable spot on its 53-man roster on a quarterback it hasn’t met with since the draft if the Patriots themselves aren’t?
If Eliot Wolf and Jerod Mayo choose to try to add Milton to their practice squad, they might be motivated to keep Zappe. He would be an experienced option for New England’s bench should a worst-case scenario play out early in the season.
For example, if Patriots brass decides Maye isn’t ready to play early in his rookie season, and if Brissett ends up injured, then the Patriots could put Zappe on the field. The pros to that approach are that he’s started NFL games for the past two years, is familiar with the team’s offensive personnel, and has spent an entire offseason with this new coaching staff and learning this new system.
The other possibility would be that, if the above situation were to come true, the Patriots would add another veteran not named Zappe to replace Brissett.
The dark horse(s)
Let’s continue down this hypothetical path because it’s one the Patriots may have to prepare for.
Here’s the situation: Brissett is the starter, Maye is No. 2 and Milton is No. 3. With that grouping, there’s a chance that none of the rookies would be considered a good replacement for Brissett should Brissett get injured.
Maybe that’s when a veteran free agent gets a call from Foxboro.
Ryan Tannehill, Trevor Siemian and Blaine Gabbert remain free agents for the time being and all have some experience in the West Coast style of offense that Van Pelt will employ this fall.
Tannehill played for Arthur Smith in a run- and center-based offense at Tennessee and had his best season in 2019. Siemian played for Smith in 2020 at Tennessee and for Gary Kubiak in Minnesota in 2018. Gabbert has recently been in a different type of offense under Andy Reid in Kansas City but played in Matt LaFleur’s Shanahan-influenced offense at Tennessee before Smith in 2018.
They would all have some level of understanding of Van Pelt’s philosophy. They’re all available right now. And if the Patriots don’t want to dedicate a roster spot to Zappe when the regular season begins, perhaps one of them could be New England’s emergency option.