Patrick Mahomes will continue to be the face of the Kansas City Chiefs along with Andy Reid, but the quarterback room will look a bit different this year. Apart from signing Carson Wentz, the team added former New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe to the group for the 2024 NFL season.
Even though only Mahomes and Wentz are on the 53-man active roster, it looks like Zappe’s presence on the practice squad is still valuable for Reid. Speaking to the media on Sunday, the Chiefs head coach revealed he found a special role for the third-year QB this week.
With the 2024 NFL season opener against the Baltimore Ravens just around the corner, Zappe will be simulating Lamar Jackson in practice to help the Chiefs‘ defense prepare to face one of the most dangerous QBs in the league.
“Yeah, Bailey (Zappe) can do that. We’ve always mixed guys in there when we have a chance of playing (and) there are some other guys that can jump in,” Reid said, via ChiefsWire. “We have a little plan for it. Not that any of them are as good as him (laughter) – Chris (Oladokun) included. I mean, Chris did a nice job, but this kid (Lamar Jackson), he’s a special player. It’s very hard to mimic him.”
As Reid mentioned, pretending to be playing against Jackson in practice is still a very challenging task since the Ravens star is a one-of-a-kind QB. Chris Oladokun, however, did a good job in imitating Lamar before the 2024 AFC Championship Game.
Reid looks happy to have Zappe on the QB room
The Chiefs landing Zappe this offseason took many by surprise, though it was an interesting move since he comes to Kansas City with starting experience from his time in Foxborough. Besides, Reid claimed he was already an admirer of Zappe from his college days.
“Good player – on the practice squad, you’re saying? We liked him (Bailey Zappe) in college (and) we liked what he showed us in the last game there; he did a nice job of that,” said Reid. “We think down the road he’ll help us there.”
Zappe went 23 of 31 for 180 yards, with a touchdown and an interception in the Patriots‘ 17-27 loss to the Chiefs at Gillette Stadium in December 2023. The 2022 fourth-round pick was promoted to starter after the benching of Mac Jones, but eventually was released by the Patriots as they landed Jacoby Brissett and first-round pick Drake Maye this summer.
Now, Zappe will get to work closely with the best QB in the league on the reigning champions as Mahomes and Reid aim to pull off an unprecedented three-peat in the NFL. He may not see the field like he did in Foxborough, but it looks like the 25-year-old is already being useful in practice.