Bailey Zappe preparing like he's the Patriots future is absolutely adorable

The New England Patriots quarterback room has deteriorated rapidly. Following Tom Brady's departure after the 2019 NFL season, the Patriots have been plagued by poor quarterback play, poor offensive line play, and a dearth of skill position talent. The Patriots finished the 2023 campaign with a 3-14 record due to an offense that ranked near the bottom of most statistical categories.

All indications suggest New England will select a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but quarterback Bailey Zappe seems unfazed.

Bailey Zappe shares video of practice session with Patriots receivers

Zappe is working out with several of his teammates at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. He shared a video on Instagram of him throwing passes to wideouts Kendrick Bourne, DeMario Douglas and Tyquan Thornton.

Zappe, who was selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, has started eight games in the past two years. He led the Patriots to a 4-4 record as a starter and threw 11 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. Bailey didn't win the starting job as much as starting quarterback Mac Jones lost it, but he ultimately served as a slightly-better alternative.

The Patriots seem to be setting themselves up to take either LSU's Jayden Daniels or North Carolina's Drake Maye in April's draft. New England traded Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Then, they signed veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who began his career in New England and is the ideal veteran mentor for a rookie quarterback.

At the NFL Scouting Combine, Patriots director of scouting and de facto general manager Eliot Wolf said that New England was planning on "weaponizing the offense."

“In terms of physical skills, we need to weaponize the offense,” Wolf said, h/t the Portland Press Herald. “We need to be faster and more explosive on defense. Height, weight, speed, playmaking ability – there will definitely be an emphasis on those things.”

Zappe's best chance of remaining in New England is to stick around as an emergency third-string quarterback. While Zappe's future in New England is uncertain, he's at least doing the right thing. There's no reason why he shouldn't be leading these workouts and trying to improve, especially when he's heading into the final year of his rookie contract.