Every NFL team’s breakout star for this season

Breakout NFL candidates for 2023: New England Patriots – Bailey Zappe

Okay, here we go. The New England Patriots are going to make bold moves this season. They are investing heavily in the offense, and they could add DeAndre Hopkins still. This could be a receiving corps of Hopkins, Juju Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Tyquan Thornton, Kendrick Bourne, and Kayshon Boutte on top of Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki at tight end. Mac Jones has every chance to succeed this season.

On top of the great offensive weapons (and we haven’t mentioned Rhamodre Stevenson), the Patriots hired Bill O’Brien as the offensive coordinator. They had Matt Patricia, a defensive coach, coaching the offense last season. Jones made it clear he hated the situation, but that’s not exactly the Patriots Way. So, don’t be surprised if he has a short leash this season.

We already saw Bailey Zappe come into the fold. He played four games last season, some with Jones on the bench. He looked especially good against the Cleveland Browns, where he threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns. His other three games were inconsistent, but the flash of greatness will keep Bill Belichick up at night. Just kidding, we all know Belichick never sleeps.

Zappe is going to get into a game this season. The writing is on the wall. Jones burned a bridge with how he acted, and the Patriots will look for an opportunity to try something else. If last year’s progress was any example, Zappe is going to get some reps sooner rather than later.