Cleveland Browns unveil starting QB vs. Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland Browns unveil starting QB vs. Baltimore Ravens

The Cleveland Browns will use quarterback Bailey Zappe for Saturday’s regular-season finale against the Baltimore Ravens, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports.

Zappe, who the Browns signed to the practice squad in October, will be the team’s fourth starting quarterback of the season, joining Deshaun Watson, Jameis Winston and Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Winston is still battling a shoulder injury and Thompson-Robinson has been unconvincing in his two starts, so Zappe is the next man up.

Zappe, a fourth-round pick out of Western Kentucky in 2022, is best known for his time with the New England Patriots, where he started eight games over two seasons. During that time, he completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 2,053 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also scored a touchdown on the ground in 2023.

Zappe’s final NFL action came in Week 18 of last season, when he completed just 12 of 30 passes for 88 yards and two interceptions in a loss to the New York Jets. He hasn’t seen the Browns field yet.

Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski previously said that both Zappe and Thompson-Robinson could play in this game, and that could very well be the case. The Browns have kept their quarterback situation under wraps up to this point, which has kept the Ravens on their toes.

“In a sense it definitely is because you don’t know, but the good thing is we have great people in the building making cuts and getting us information to be prepared for both guys,” Defensive said Coordinator Zach Orr told reporters Wednesday.

“We are obviously familiar with Thompson-Robinson. Now we’re working on Zappe, so our game plan really won’t change much,” he continued. “We have to go out and take care of business. We have to play clean football, play physical football (and) play healthy football no matter who the quarterback is, and I think we’ll be good.”

The Ravens and Browns kick off at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET.

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