Bailey Zappe was added to the Patriots’ active roster to back up quarterback Mac Jones. Kirk Irwin/Associated Press
The Patriots signed quarterback Bailey Zappe to their 53-man roster from the practice squad.
New England also placed quarterback Matt Corral on the exempt/left squad list.
Zappe will be used as the Patriots’ backup quarterback Sunday in their season opener against the Eagles. Head coach Bill Belichick said Friday morning that the team was still deciding between Zappe and Corral.
Zappe was surprisingly waived at roster cutdowns late last month. He signed with the Patriots’ practice squad one day later after clearing waivers. The Patriots claimed Corral off waivers earlier this month after he was waived by the Panthers. Corral was not at practice Friday.
The Patriots selected Zappe in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Western Kentucky. He went 2-0 in relief of starter Mac Jones last season but struggled this summer in offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien’s new system.
Corral left the Patriots without notice, according to a source. That explains why his absence from practice Friday was listed as “not injury related” on the injury report and why he was placed on the exempt/left squad list. He doesn’t take up a roster spot, but another team can’t sign him unless the Patriots formally waive him. The Patriots can activate him at any time, but they would need to create a roster spot for him. Corral was claimed off waivers last week.
THE PATRIOTS also placed cornerback Jack Jones on injured reserve, signed running back Ty Montgomery to the 53-man roster from the practice squad, elevated linebacker Calvin Munson from the practice squad and placed quarterback Matt Corral on the exempt/left squad list.
Jones, who suffered a hamstring injury Wednesday in practice, will miss at least four games on injured reserve. Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Myles Bryant and Marcus Jones are now the team’s top cornerbacks. Shaun Wade and rookie Ameer Speed will serve as additional depth.
RAMS: Los Angeles placed receiver Cooper Kupp on injured reserve, sidelining him for at least their first four games.
The Rams also put new tight end Hunter Long on injured reserve, one day before their season opener at Seattle.
Kupp injured his hamstring Aug. 1 in training camp, and he aggravated the injury late last month. The Super Bowl 56 MVP got treatment and saw a specialist in Minnesota in recent days but didn’t improve enough to play.
Kupp also missed the final eight games of last season with an ankle injury. He won the triple crown of receiving in 2021 and was named the AP’s NFL Offensive Player of the Year before leading the Rams to their Super Bowl victory over Cincinnati.
BENGALS: Quarterback Joe Burrow, in his first comments to reporters since becoming the highest-paid player in the NFL, said contract negotiations weren’t a distraction as he worked to rehab from a training camp injury and then game plan for Sunday’s opener at Cleveland.
“I’ve always been pretty good at compartmentalizing things that are important to me,” the 26-year-old said Saturday at a news conference.
Burrow finalized his contract extension on Thursday before the Bengals’ buses left for Cleveland. While the Bengals didn’t disclose the terms, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press that Burrow agreed to a five-year contract worth $275 million, including more than $219 million guaranteed.
“I work really hard to perform well on the field and think a lot about how I handle myself and how I can be the best me for this organization,” he said. “So to be rewarded for it means a lot to me – but (there’s) a lot more to do.”
Burrow, who is beginning his fourth season in the NFL, has reversed the fortunes of the franchise while earning a reputation as a decisive and creative leader with a knack for figuring out how to pick up yards when plays break down. He has led Cincinnati to two straight AFC North titles and a Super Bowl appearance following the 2021 season.
Signing the 2022 Pro Bowler and 2021 AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year to an extension was a goal of the team all summer, and Burrow didn’t waver from his desire to spend the rest of his career in Cincinnati.
SAINTS: New Orleans signed starting right guard and 2020 first-round draft choice Cesar Ruiz to a four-year extension.
Ruiz was entering the final year of his rookie deal after New Orleans this past offseason declined to pick up the fifth-year option for the former Michigan center.
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