Bill Belichick mum on Patriots' quarterback situation, as Bailey Zappe takes practice reps

Mac Jones was benched for the fourth time this season on Sunday

In an unsurprising move for New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, he declined to answer specific questions about the quarterback position ahead of this weekend’s matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers during a press conference on Wednesday. 

Fortunately, Wednesday’s practice offered some interesting insight. 

bill belichick mum on patriots quarterback situation as bailey zappe takes practice reps

Bailey Zappe #4 of the New England Patriots calls a play during the third quarter against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on November 26, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Elsa/Getty Images)

During the portion of practice open to the media on Wednesday, Bailey Zappe took the majority of reps, according to ESPN. Rookie Malik Cunningham, who is on the practice squad, also took reps. 

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Mac Jones, who was benched for the fourth time this season during Sunday’s loss to the New York Giants, reportedly did not take any reps during this portion of the practice.

"Yeah, I'm not going to make any announcements on our lineup at any position," Belichick said when asked about his plans for quarterback vs. the Chargers. 

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bill belichick mum on patriots quarterback situation as bailey zappe takes practice reps

Bailey Zappe #4 of the New England Patriots and Mac Jones #10 of the New England Patriots look dejected following the team's 10-6 defeat during the NFL match between the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots at Deutsche Bank Park on November 12, 2023 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.  (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

"So, it doesn't matter what the position is. We'll see how practice goes, see if everybody is ready to go. Hopefully everybody is ready to go, see what the injury situation is, and we'll go with who we think is best on Sunday." 

Belichick declined to talk specifics about Jones and Zappe, despite a series of questions. 

​​"Well, we haven't won enough games," he said when asked about Jones’ performance this season. "So, I don't think anybody has performed well enough. We all need to do a better job." 

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New England sits at the bottom of the AFC East with a 2-9 record and on a four game slide. 

Playing in his third season, Jones has completed 224 passes for 2,120 yards and just 10 touchdowns through 11 starts. He’s thrown 12 interceptions and been sacked 22 times. 

"Just bad quarterback play and wasn't good enough by me," Jones said Sunday of his first half benching. "If the quarterback doesn't play well, you have no chance." 

bill belichick mum on patriots quarterback situation as bailey zappe takes practice reps

Mac Jones #10 of the New England Patriots looks on during the second quarter against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on November 26, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Elsa/Getty Images)

For his role, Zappe wouldn’t speculate about starting against the Chargers.

"That's Coach Belichick's decision. If I start, I'm going to do everything I can like I have the past times I've started and try to go out there and win." 

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Paulina Dedaj is a Sports Reporter for Fox News Digital.

Authored by Paulina Dedaj via FoxNews November 29th 2023