The Cleveland Browns quarterback position couldn’t dodge the injury bug in their Week 7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Deshaun Watson injured his Achilles in the second quarter when his leg hyperextended on a noncontact play, and he immediately gave himself up. An MRI determined that he suffered a season-ending ruptured Achilles.
Watson’s backup suffered an injury as well.
The Cleveland Browns second-year player suffered a finger injury
Dorian Thompson-Robinson injured his finger in the fourth quarter after getting knocked to the ground. Thompson-Robinson went into the locker room for further examination and did not return for the remainder of the game. Jameis Winston, their emergency third quarterback, filled in for their final 13 snaps.
Thompson-Robinson’s injury isn’t believed to be serious. How he responds to treatment and whether he can grip a football will ultimately determine his availability. That said, he could miss multiple weeks.
The Browns needed to find a backup since Jameis Winston is the only healthy quarterback remaining on their active roster. They addressed the position earlier today.
The Cleveland Browns announced massive news
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Browns poached Bailey Zappe off the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad. Since Dorian Thompson-Robinson might miss multiple weeks to recover from his finger injury, they needed to find someone to serve as the backup for the time being. The expectation is that Zappe will back up Jameis Winston next week and possibly longer.
A new QB in Cleveland: The #Browns are signing Bailey Zappe off the #Chiefs practice squad, per sources.
With Deshaun Watson’s season over and Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s status in flux, Jameis Winston could start Sunday vs. Baltimore and Zappe would back him up. pic.twitter.com/drBj6rtKEZ
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 22, 2024
How has 2024 treated the new backup?
After replacing Mac Jones as the starting quarterback for the last six games of the 2023 season, the New England Patriots decided to overhaul the position in the offseason. The Patriots signed Jacoby Brissett to a one-year, $8 million contract and drafted Drake Maye 3rd overall and Joe Milton III 193rd overall in this year’s draft.
Bailey Zappe competed for a roster spot against Brissett, Maye, and Milton. Unfortunately, Zappe was the odd man out, as the Patriots released him during the roster cutdown deadline. But, the Kansas City Chiefs signed him to their practice squad a few days later. He spent nearly two months with the Chiefs.
Fast forward to now, he’s a member of the Cleveland Browns and will play a crucial role on the offense.