Bailey Zappe becomes first casualty of Jets' 53-man roster cuts: Report

The New York Jets have made their first move of roster cutdown weekend, cutting ties with journeyman veteran quarterback Bailey Zappe, per ESPN's Rich Cimini. Zappe had been with the Jets since January, having been signed to a reserve/futures contract after spending time with the Browns' practice squad.

Zappe started the offseason program as the de facto backup quarterback, taking mostly QB2 reps away from the likes of Cade Klubnik and Brady Cook. As training camp began, it became clear the Jets wanted Klubnik to get most of those reps.

Throughout the preseason, Zappe was consistently outplayed by the likes of Klubnik and even Cook. He completed 14 of 23 pass attempts for 135 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions for a quarterback rating of 41.0.

It's the first cut of many to come for New York, which has roughly 24 hours to narrow its offseason roster down to 53 players. In terms of quarterbacks, the Jets are now carrying three, with all eyes turning to Cook as the next possible cut candidate.

New York Jets QB plan becomes clearer after Bailey Zappe cut

After last night's preseason finale, it became clear that Zappe had fallen behind in the Jets quarterback pecking order. He still got his reps ahead of Cook, but after last week's exhibition matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Friday night's finale, it was clear who the first odd man out would be.

Through three preseason games, Cook has played admirably. He's completed 13-of-23 pass attempts for one touchdown and no interceptions. The former undrafted free agent recorded a quarterback rating of 93.6.

It's unclear if Cook is safe himself just yet. The Jet Press' recent 53-man roster prediction has the Jets keeping only two quarterbacks on the active roster. But if he does get released, it's possible he finds his way back to the Jets' practice squad.

Will the New York Jets look to add another quarterback?

Regardless of who the Jets end up keeping or not, they should still look to add a more experienced arm to the room. Klubnik can't be the only insurance policy behind Smith. He's one unlucky injury away from being the starting quarterback, and that's not fair to the team or Klubnik's development.

SNY's Connor Hughes told fans to keep their eyes peeled for Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee. McKee has been a name linked to the Jets since the start of the offseason, while McCarthy sounds like a poor option for several other reasons.

The quarterback picture will become clearer as other teams around the league narrow down their own rosters.

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