Zappe is taking away reps from Maye, Milton

Patriots’ third-year quarterback Bailey Zappe played more than half of the Patriots’ offensive snaps under center in the NFL’s first preseason game on Thursday night. Rookie quarterbacks Drake Maye and Joe Milton III saw three and 20 snaps, respectively.

Former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski gave a blunt assessment of head coach Jerod Mayo’s decision.

“It was kinda a little weird to me that (Maye) only played six plays. As the third pick overall, you gotta see what he has,” Gronkowski said on FS1’s “First Things First” on Friday. “You gotta be able to show he’s good so he’s ready to go when his time is called in the season. But Mayo had a plan and if that was the plan, that’s totally understandable. He didn’t want him out there with the second offensive line.”

Maye completed two of three passes for 19 yards against the Panthers in his New England debut. He was the team’s quarterback for their second series, following Jacoby Brissett. Zappe entered the game in the next series.

Gronkowski went on to explain how Zappe’s Patriots tenure is coming to a close, and that the team needs to move on from him for Maye and Milton’s sake.

“My hot take is that Bailey Zappe needs to be freed,” he said. “They gotta either let him go or they gotta trade him, because he’s taking away reps from Drake Maye. He’s taking away reps from Joe Milton. Bailey Zappe is not gonna be on that team by the end of training camp. Bailey Zappe needs to be freed so he can go to another team and show what he has.”

Milton’s 20 snaps at quarterback were flashy — the rookie rushed 12 yards on a fascinating scramble in the third quarter and launched a 38-yard touchdown pass to JaQuae Jackson in the fourth. Like many New England fans, Gronkowski wanted to see more Milton magic and more from Maye in their first NFL action.

Given that the team is carrying four quarterbacks, Gronkowski is right about the Patriots needing to move on from at least one of them. It seems likely that Zappe would be the odd man out. The Patriots signed Brissett to be the team’s starting quarterback at least to begin the season, drafted Maye third overall, and have to like what they’re seeing from Milton enough to make him their third QB.

Zappe was also utilized as the third or fourth quarterback for the majority of the time to this point in training camp, so the way he was used on Thursday was head-scratching to many.

Mayo did say postgame that he expects Maye to get more playing time in New England’s next game, which is against the Eagles on Aug. 15.