For the Packers, the disastrous ending to Friday night’s loss the Eagles in Sao Paolo, Brazil, certainly could have been worse. Quarterback Jordan Love suffered a knee injury on the final drive of the game, leaving the last two desperation plays to newly acquired Malik Willis, who was every bit the deer in headlights that one would expect, throwing an incomplete and taking a sack.
Love, the team has revealed, has a strain in his MCL, one of the ligaments in his knee. It’s not torn, and it is not an ACL. The injury is expected to keep him out for 3-6 weeks. All in all, that is good news. Of course, given the fact that Willis was only acquired by the Packers from the Titans a week before the season kicked off, the possible bad news is that the Packers could well be 0-7 when he gets back on the field.
OK, that is the absolute worst-case scenario. But the Packers are in danger of starting a season with high expectations with a very poor first month or two. And if Willis, a quarterback who tends to make plays with his legs more than his arm, is not ready for the job, the Packers need someone who can step in and be a passer.
And the best relatively young player who could fill that role on the market is one who has been connected to the Packers before: former Patriots starter Bailey Zappe, now a member of the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad.
Packers Have Some Familiarity With Bailey Zappe
This latest Zappe-Packers connection comes from CBS Sports, in an article titled, “Jordan Love injury: What this means for Packers, list of potential replacements as QB expected to miss time,” by Jordan Dajani.
Zappe, a fourth-round pick of the Patriots in 2022, gave former quarterback Mac Jones a run for his money as the starter over the past two years, but was ultimately dumped by New England as the team cleaned house in an attempt to rebuild the offense.
Dajani wrote: “The Western Kentucky product found himself on the outside looking in with the Patriots QB room, and he is now on the practice squad of the reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs. Packers fans know a little something about Zappe, as his first NFL action came at Lambeau Field. When Brian Hoyer went down with a concussion in a Week 4 matchup vs. the Packers back in 2022, the rookie Zappe came in and completed 10 of 15 passes for 99 yards and one touchdown, while taking Aaron Rodgers to overtime.”
‘Caught The Eye of Bill Belichick’
In two seasons with the Patriots, Zappe made 14 appearances and eight starts, with a respectable 4-4 record playing for poor teams. Zappe raised some hopes about his prospects as a rookie in 2022 when he won two games while filling in for Jones, who was out with an injury, but Jones ultimately took the job back.
Jones lost that job last year, though, and Zappe less than impressive in his stead, going 2-4 in six starts.
Zappe had a quarterback rating of 68.7 last season, and threw nine interceptions with just six touchdowns. He had a Pro Football Focus grade of just 52.2 last year, which ranked 36th out of 38 quarterbacks.
Still, he has a live arm and with the receiving corps of the Packers, Zappe could be rejuvenated. As Dajani wrote, “If you’re looking for a younger player with a big arm who once caught the eye of Bill Belichick, you have it in Zappe.”
