The New England Patriots had another stunning cutdown day on Tuesday.

The team opted to release Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham, leaving Mac Jones as the lone player in the quarterback room.

Obviously, the team will need to add someone to back up Jones in the coming days. But this actually isn't new to them, they released Cam Newton and Brian Hoyer on cutdown day in 2021 before bringing back Hoyer to backup Jones.

Anyway, there's already been loads of speculation on what the team will do at backup quarter, from signing a journeyman to jokes about Tom Brady making his return.

So, let's take a look at the four best options for the Patriots following Tuesday's surprise.

Colt McCoy

The 14-year NFL vet is the clear top option to be the Patriots' backup quarterback.

McCoy was somewhat surprisingly released by the Arizona Cardinals on Monday, leading some to speculate that they might be in full teardown mode. You might think it's crazy for people to think that way about a soon-to-be 37-year-old journeyman quarterback, McCoy has been dependable as a backup option over his career.

McCoy went 3-3 over his six starts as a backup with the Cardinals, throwing for 1,520 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions with an 87.2 passer while appearing in parts of 12 games in the last two seasons. That's the kind of baseline play you'd like to see from backup quarterback.

Prior to joining the Cardinals, McCoy played at an OK level with the Giants, too. He went 1-1 in the two games he started with them during the 2020 season, throwing for 375 yards, one touchdown and one interception that season. He also put up an 89.6 passer rating as he appeared in 12 games (seven starts) over five seasons in Washington.

If the Patriots need more of a veteran presence at quarterback, McCoy is certainly the answer.

Carson Wentz

Wentz might not be the most popular option among NFL fans and is probably not starter-worthy at this point. But it's hard to argue that he shouldn't be on an NFL roster.

In his last two stops, Wentz could at least play at an OK level at times. He threw for 5,318 yards with 38 touchdowns and 16 interceptions to go along with an 89.6 passer rating plus an 11-13 record as a starter over the last two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Commanders. He's also added a bit of a rushing element in the past, posting 215 rushing yards and a touchdown with the Colts in 2021.

Obviously, those numbers are a long way from where he was at with the Philadelphia Eagles at the start of his career. He was arguably the MVP frontrunner until he got hurt in 2017. But the Patriots aren't asking their backup to be an MVP, just give them OK quarterback play.

Wentz is capable of doing that. And it'd be also funny to try and see him add some Patriots paraphernalia to the mix in his next Instagram workout post.

David Blough

The 28-year-old is 0-7 in the games he's started over his four-year career, but hear me out: he wasn't bad last season.

Blough was the third option the Cardinals turned to after Kyler Murray suffered a torn ACL last season, getting the nod after McCoy suffered a season-ending injury and Trace McSorley was benched.

Blough was dealt a pretty tough hand playing for a beaten-up and not-so-talented Cardinals squad. He put up a solid effort in the Week 17 loss against the Atlanta Falcons, throwing for 222 yards and a touchdown in a 20-19 loss. He had a couple of mistakes against the San Francisco 49ers a week later, throwing two interceptions but completed 14-of-18 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown plus an 87.3 passer rating as his team was clearly overmatched.

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The Cardinals also released Blough on Tuesday, but he can be an OK option as a backup quarterback.

Bailey Zappe

Who says you can't reunite with a released player?

The Patriots have reportedly shown interest in bringing back the guy who was their primary backup for most of last season. Reasonably so, he went 2-0 as a starter as he threw for five touchdowns and 781 years over four games.

Obviously, Zappe's preseason wasn't good. And maybe last season was a one-hit wonder. But we know he can at least help you win a game or two as a backup. You shouldn't be expecting to find the next franchise quarterback here. Just someone who can step in and win you a game or two if something ever happens to your starting quarterback.