It’s easy to argue that the decision was made nine weeks too late, but it appears the Patriots are mercifully making a quarterback change this week.

Backup Bailey Zappe has taken the bulk of top quarterback snaps in practice in a season that Mac Jones has been benched four times starting way back in Week 4.

So, what will that look like? And will he have to share snaps with another QB?

Let’s answer those questions in this week’s mailbag.

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Here’s the latest on Patriots’ quarterback situation heading into Week 13

@theCIAgotJFK
Any chance we see Cunningham at qb on Sunday?

I don’t think Malik Cunningham will start at quarterback. I expect Zappe to earn his first start of the season.

But from talking to a source earlier this week, I do think it’s possible that Cunningham could get some work at quarterback this week. Zappe was taking the majority of quarterback reps, but Cunningham receive some snaps and looked “fine,” according to the source.

After switching to wide receiver this summer and only sporadically working at quarterback, it seems unlikely that Cunningham, a four-year starter at quarterback in college, would be ready to play a full game under center. But there are six games left in the season, and it’s worth throwing the Louisville product into the mix to see what he looks like in certain packages. And maybe he would be ready for a start by the end of the season.

The hope is that it looks better than it did in Week 6 when Cunningham was sacked in his only dropback against the Raiders when he served as Mac Jones’ backup.

The Patriots could also use Cunningham at wide receiver. Kendrick Bourne is on injured reserve, and Demario Douglas (concussion) and Kayshon Boutte (shoulder/illness) both missed practice on Thursday. That leaves JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Tyquan Thornton and Jalen Reagor as the only fully healthy wide receivers on the 53-man roster.

@combustman1
Does starting Zappe feel like an even better way to tank..or do you think he’ll actually perform better?

Neither. Jones has been so bad that the Patriots are forced to put someone, anyone else at quarterback. And Zappe is the most ready.

I don’t personally think Zappe will perform considerably better than Jones. But he won his two starts last season. And there’s at least hope that he’ll play better as a starter with a full week of practice than he has as a reserve in four games this season when he’s been even worse than Jones.

There’s nothing exciting about the idea of Zappe starting this week. But at least it’s different.

As a team source recently said, though, “different ain’t always better.”

@BostonEmpire247
Should the Patriots have interest in bringing back Ezekiel Elliott? It seems like when the Stevenson/Zeke duo is on, they are unstoppable.

“Unstoppable” is an odd way to describe a team that’s won two games this season.

That being said, Elliott has been good. I think he’s worth bringing back for another season, assuming he wants to play for an affordable salary.

@SeanMcL45832660
Why did u guys in media ruin max jones ?? No kidding but seriously u had a part in it along with Mac himself my question to u is this team needs a total reboot but Jerod Mayo is the awnser time for a whole rebuild

I disagree with the notion that the media ruined Jones. I think Jones has mostly been covered fairly since he came to the Patriots in 2021. He was appropriately praised for his performance as a rookie, and the media was pretty patient with him and mostly blamed coaching on his struggles in Year 2. He was given another chance in Year 3 when Bill O’Brien took over as offensive coordinator, and the media mostly threw in the towel and gave up on him in Year 3 even before the coaching staff did.

@yungmacedgod
Has this been the hardest year to cover the team? #maildoug

Yes. There just aren’t a lot of positive stories to tell about the team. There’s a lack of standout performances, and every game feels the same.

But we’re still writing about football for a living. No complaints here.

@realjohncronin
Do people actually think drafting a QB in the first round will fix the pats? I feel like people are quick to blame Mac and ignore the other issues w the roster

Short-term? Probably not. Long-term? Absolutely.

The Patriots are primed to pick near the top of the 2024 NFL Draft. What better opportunity is there to take a franchise quarterback?

People are quick to blame Jones for a reason. He’s been one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL for two straight seasons. He’s been benched four times this season, and his mistakes are preventable. There’s no possible way the the Patriots could pitch him to fans as the team’s starting quarterback next season.

So, you start over and take Caleb Williams, Drake Maye or one of the other top quarterbacks in the draft and build up the rest of the team in free agency, trades and later in the draft over multiple years.