Who Should I Start? Bailey Zappe or Skylar Thompson

Saturday, January 4, 9:28 PM

Cleveland Browns quarterback Bailey Zappe completed 16 of his 31 passes for 170 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions while adding two yards on two carries in a 35-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18. Zappe made his first and only start of the season for the Browns in the finale while showing spotty accuracy and a lack of arm strength in the lopsided loss. His first interception came in the first quarter and was a back-breaker as it was thrown right into the hands of rookie corner Nate Wiggins, who returned it 26 yards for a touchdown. The Browns turned to Dorian Thompson-Robinson to lead a drive at the end of the first quarter but he only wound up taking six snaps in the contest before the team reinserted Zappe at the beginning of the second quarter. An unrestricted free-agent heading into the offseason, Zappe will look to catch on as a backup quarterback somewhere ahead of the 2025 season.

Tuesday, January 14, 2:44 PM

The Pittsburgh Steelers are signing free-agent quarterback Skylar Thompson on Tuesday, according to Ari Meirov of the 33rd Team. Thompson, a 2022 seventh-round pick out of Kansas State, has played in 10 regular-season games (three starts) for the Miami Dolphins. Overall, he has completed 58.7% of his passes for 721 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. While the Steelers might have a quarterback issue to address this offseason, Thompson is clearly not going to be viewed as a serious candidate to start next season. The team is undecided on the futures of Justin Fields and Russell Wilson, so Thompson could find his way into the QB2 or QB3 role for Mike Tomlin in 2025, though it's early in the process.