NFL cuts: Patriots waive QB Bailey Zappe, Chiefs cut WR Kadarius Toney

 

[August 28, 2024]  The New England Patriots waived quarterback Bailey Zappe on Tuesday.

The deadline for teams to get down to a 53-man roster was Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.

Zappe played in 14 games the past two seasons, starting eight, for the Patriots and was 4-4. He completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 2,053 yards with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

While Zappe, 25, relieved an ineffective Mac Jones last season, he was buried in the quarterback room this spring and summer behind veteran Jacoby Brissett and rookies Drake Maye and Joe Milton III. Maye was the No. 3 overall pick of the draft, while Milton was taken in the sixth round.

Zappe was 15-of-25 passing for 137 yards in the preseason.

First-year head coach Jerod Mayo has yet to announce who will start at QB when the Patriots open the season Sept. 8 against the Bengals in Cincinnati.

Other notable cuts, per multiple reports:

--Martavis Bryant's comeback dreams ended with his release by the Washington Commanders.

Bryant, 32, was attempting to play in the NFL regular season for the first time since he was suspended indefinitely by the league in 2018 following multiple drug violations. The league did not reinstate him until last November.

He spent time late last season on the practice squad of the Dallas Cowboys, who released him on Jan. 4. He caught on with the Commanders two weeks ago after a workout at training camp.

--The Tennessee Titans are cutting former first-round draft pick Caleb Farley after three seasons.

The No. 22 selection in 2021, the defensive back played in just 12 games (two starts) over three seasons because of a variety of injuries, including a torn ACL and back issues.

He had 14 tackles and one pass defended.

--Running back Frank Gore Jr. was not on the 53-man roster of the Buffalo Bills when the league deadline arrived on Tuesday.

Gore Jr. rushed for 101 yards in the preseason finale and said he was confident he put his "best foot forward" in a preseason bid to follow his father's footsteps to the NFL.

The Southern Miss product hit waivers despite gaining 212 total yards on 37 touches with Buffalo in August.

The Bills also signed quarterback Mike White to the practice squad after his release from the Miami Dolphins, ESPN reported.

White, 29, appeared in six games for Miami in 2023 after playing in 14 and starting seven for the New York Jets between 2021-22. White has thrown for 2,219 yards, nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions in his career. The Bills only had two quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster, Josh Allen and Mitchell Trubisky, the latter of whom has a knee injury.

--The Houston Texans released wide receiver Noah Brown.

The 28-year-old played five seasons with the Cowboys before signing with the Texans ahead of the 2023 campaign, in which he played in 10 games (seven starts) and made 33 catches for 567 yards with two touchdowns.

In 76 career games (25 starts), he has 115 receptions for 1,547 yards and five TDs.

--The Green Bay Packers cut kicker Anders Carlson, who missed a key field goal attempt in the NFC playoffs last season.

Carlson couldn't convert a 41-yard attempt in the Packers' 24-21 divisional-round playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers in January -- a field goal that could have given Green Bay a seven-point lead with just over six minutes to play.

He struggled throughout his 2023 rookie season, missing five extra point tries and converting just 81.8 percent (27 of 33) of his field goal attempts in the regular season. The sixth-round draft pick also missed an extra point in the playoffs.

The Packers also released quarterbacks Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt after their trade to acquire Malik Willis from the Tennessee Titans was made official. Willis will serve as the QB2 behind Jordan Love.

--The two-time Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs released wide receiver Kadarius Toney.

The oft-injured former first-round draft pick (New York Giants, 2021) publicly feuded with his team last winter when he claimed on an Instagram Live stream the Chiefs were lying about his injury status to keep him inactive.

The 25-year-old Toney has caught 82 passes for 760 yards and three touchdowns in 32 games over three seasons with the Giants (2021-22) and Chiefs (2022-23). He caught a go-ahead touchdown in Super Bowl LVII when the Chiefs beat the Eagles, but he was inactive throughout last year's playoff run.

The Chiefs reunited with former wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster earlier this week.

Aug 15, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe (4) throws a pass against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo

--The Los Angeles Chargers released veteran tight end Donald Parham, a part-time starter who was coming off a career season.

Parham set career highs with 27 catches, 285 yards and four touchdowns in 2023, his fourth season in the league. First-year head coach Jim Harbaugh appears to be going with Will Dissly and Hayden Hurst at the tight-end position.

Among the Chargers' other cuts is Alex Leatherwood, a former first-round pick by the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021 who has struggled to stay with a team after starting all 17 games his rookie year.

--The Philadelphia Eagles trimmed their receivers room by cutting Parris Campbell and John Ross.

The Eagles acquired wide receiver Jahan Dotson from the Commanders last week and are expected to make him their No. 3 receiver behind A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith. That left little room for Campbell, who played four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and one with the Giants, and Ross, the former ninth overall draft pick (2017) who hasn't played in the NFL since 2021.

--The Cleveland Browns parted with veteran running back D'Onta Foreman, though coach Kevin Stefanski hinted to reporters that the team could bring him back in some capacity before the season.

Foreman, 28, spent 2023 with the Chicago Bears and rushed for 425 yards and four touchdowns on 109 attempts. In six NFL seasons with Houston (2017-18), Tennessee (2020-21), Carolina (2022) and Chicago, he has amassed 2,326 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground, along with 34 receptions for 342 yards and three scores.

The Browns opted to keep four quarterbacks on their initial roster. Jameis Winston, Tyler Huntley and Dorian Thompson-Robinson were all competing for the backup quarterback job behind Deshaun Watson. It is possible the Browns will trade one of the backups before the season begins.

--The Jacksonville Jaguars released quarterback C.J. Beathard with an injury settlement.

Beathard's chance to make the roster looked dim after the Jaguars acquired Mac Jones to back up Trevor Lawrence at quarterback. Beathard appeared in seven games, starting one for the Jags in 2023 while Lawrence dealt with injuries.

In six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers (2017-18, 2020) and Jaguars (2021-23), Beathard has completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 3,886 yards, 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 32 games (13 starts).

--The Arizona Cardinals released quarterback Desmond Ridder, meaning second-year signal caller Clayton Tune will remain the backup to starter Kyler Murray.

The Cardinals traded wide receiver Rondale Moore in March for Ridder, who was the Atlanta Falcons' starting quarterback in 13 of the 15 games he played last season and delivered a 6-7 record.

Atlanta selected Ridder in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Cincinnati. Ridder, who turns 25 on Saturday, has played in 19 games (17 starts) in two seasons and completed 322 of 503 passes (64 percent) for 3,544 yards, 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

The Cardinals picked Tune in the fifth round of the 2023 draft out of Houston. Tune, 25, appeared in seven games (one start) last season and was 12 of 21 (57.1 percent) for 62 yards and two interceptions.

--After veteran wide receiver Tim Patrick did not make the Denver Broncos' 53-man roster, he is expected to sign with the Detroit Lions' practice squad, multiple reports indicated.

Patrick, 30, was a former starter for Denver but has not played since 2021 after sustaining multiple injuries. He tore his ACL during a training camp practice in 2022 and then tore an Achilles in July 2023.

In 55 games (37 starts) for the Broncos from 2018-21, Patrick hauled in 143 catches for 2,009 yards and 12 touchdowns.

--Field Level Media

[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]
 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.