The Brian Hoyer Era appears to have been all too brief for the New England Patriots and it appears that the Zappening is upon us.
According to NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport, the Patriots have placed Brian Hoyer on injured reserve, which means Bailey Zappe is now the backup quarterback behind Mac Jones. It also means that Zappe will be the starter while Jones remains out recovering from his injury.
The #Patriots placed QB Brian Hoyer on IR, meaning Bailey Zappe is the full-time backup (or starter until Mac Jones is ready).
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 6, 2022
The Patriots signed Garrett Gilbert to their practice squad this week as well, which means he could also be promoted to the roster at some point if needed, especially if Zappe struggles and Jones’s return remains in limbo.
The rookie Zappe came into last Sunday’s game after Hoyer went down with an injury. He played admirably in a loss to the Green Bay Packers.
“Zappe! Zappe! Zappe!” one Patriots player yelled out when seeing a media crowd around Bailey Zappe’s locker.
As for Zappe’s reaction to such media attention … pic.twitter.com/vd3xrjOV30
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 5, 2022
Jones is likely to miss “multiple games” while dealing with a high-ankle sprain, which leaves Zappe as the only healthy quarterback currently on the active roster. One wonders what will happen on Sunday against the Detroit Lions if Zappe gets hurt. Presumably, Garrett will be elevated before Sunday but it’s unclear at the moment.
The good news is that the Lions’ defense has been so porous that whoever is playing quarterback should be able to get something going. Still, New England is counting the days until Jones is healthy again.
