Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots have made a shocking decision at quarterback as the team cuts down to a 53-man roster ahead of Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season. The Patriots have cut second-year QB Bailey Zappe, according to report.

“The #Patriots have waived backup QB Bailey Zappe, source said. A surprise,” tweeted NFL Network Ian Rapoport on Tuesday.

Zappe, a fourth-round pick out of Western Kentucky was 2-0 as a starter in his rookie season while backing up Mac Jones. In four total appearances last season, the 6-foot-1 signal-caller went 65-of-92 (70.7%) for 781 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions.

This season, Mac Jones fully established himself as the team's starter in Patriots training camp and in the preseason games, although there was some debate in the media as to whether Bill Belichick may actually prefer Zappe to Jones.

However, Zappe struggled in the final Patriots preseason game against the Tennessee Titans. He was just 8-of-15 for 57 yards and, behind a porous offensive line was sacked four times.

Maybe the most shocking part of all of this is that Belichick and New England also cut QB Trace McSorley on Monday and rookie signal-caller Malik Cunningham on Tuesday. So, as the Patriots craft their 53-man roster heading into the 2023 NFL season, they currently have only on QB on the team.

If Zappe (or McSorley or Cunningham) clears waivers and doesn't go to another team, there is a chance that New England can bring them back. However, it now seems more likely that Belichick will be signing another signal-caller from a different team to back up Jones in Week 1 when the Patriots take on the defending NFC champs, the Philadelphia Eagles.