The 2025 NFL preseason is a thing of the past, and all 32 teams are now focused on whittling their rosters down to 53 players. The Kansas City Chiefs are no different, and general manager Brett Veach is quickly getting to work ahead of the cutdown deadline.
One of the club’s first notable moves comes at the quarterback position. Per a Monday afternoon report from Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, Kansas City is waiving Bailey Zappe.
“The Chiefs are waiving QB Bailey Zappe, per source,” Pelissero’s post on X read.
Chiefs Reportedly Cutting Ties With Former Patriots Starting QB Bailey Zappe
This was an expected move by Kansas City (as Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest pointed out). With that said, it’s an important one nonetheless. It marks the end of the line for Zappe with the reigning AFC champions, whether temporary or otherwise.
Zappe started his career with the New England Patriots, where he appeared in 14 games (8 starts) in 2022 and 2023. In those outings, the former fourth-round pick completed 192 of 304 pass attempts for 2,053 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He then joined the Chiefs’ practice squad after being waived in 2024, only to be claimed by the Cleveland Browns in October.
The 26-year-old dipped his toes back into the starting waters last season, doing so once for Cleveland in Week 18. The regular-season finale saw him go 16-for-31 with 170 yards, a touchdown and 2 interceptions. Zappe found his way back to Kansas City in March, where he stayed prior to getting waived. The Chiefs were widely predicted to cut ties with Zappe this summer.
Zappe played in all three of Kansas City’s preseason games in August. In those outings, he completed 15 passes on 27 attempts for 104 yards.
In a separate tweet, Derrick reported that the Chiefs waived offensive lineman Dalton Cooper. The former Oklahoma State standout enjoyed an excellent pre-draft process, posting great athletic testing scores. He signed as an undrafted free agent.
Kansas City Confident in Backup Plan Behind Patrick Mahomes Entering Season
Fortunately for the Chiefs, they have likely the NFL’s top signal-caller in Patrick Mahomes. The two-time MVP winner is as locked in as ever, which bodes well for the team moving forward. Not only that, but they might have the best backup situation since Mahomes himself sat behind Alex Smith in 2017-18.
Gardner Minshew signed on a one-year deal earlier this year, and the dividends are already being paid. The veteran went 17-for-27 in the preseason, throwing for 161 yards and a touchdown.
Speaking to the media after signing, Minshew explained why he’s glad to be in Kansas City with head coach Andy Reid.
“I love the way they teach it here, man,” Minshew said. “I think between coach [Matt] Nagy, [quarterbacks] coach [David] Girardi in our room, Reid, obviously, they communicate very well on potential looks that you can get, how the play might adjust on the fly, and really give the guys the opportunity to go play ball and be successful. So that’s been a lot of fun.”
Reid is also a fan of Minshew’s game, making this a match made in heaven. Thus, the Chiefs can afford to part ways with someone like Zappe (or reunite with him on the practice squad).
“You can see that he’s smart, he’s got good accuracy, poise,” Reid said in July. “It’s great to have him here, so we are pleased to have him here. You kind of have a heads up because he’s actually started in games, so you kind of know how he handles the pressure in that. We liked what we saw on tape, and I’ve seen the same thing here, so he should be fine.”
