Patriots reportedly signing QB Garrett Gilbert to practice squad
FOXBORO -- With Bailey Zappe the only healthy quarterback on the roster, the Patriots are reportedly adding veteran journeyman Garret Gilbert to the practice squad ahead of their Week 5 game against the Detroit Lions.
New England's intentions to sign Gilbert were first reported by NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
Gilbert, 31, was briefly on the New England practice squad last year, before he was signed by the Washington Football Team for an emergency start in December. Washington lost both Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen to the COVID-19 list in the same week, so Gilbert got a start just four days after signing with the team.
He completed 21 of his 34 passes for 194 yards in a 27-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The only other start of Gilbert's career came in 2020 when he was with the Dallas Cowboys, when he completed 21 of 38 attempts for 243 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in a 24-19 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This will be the third time that Gilbert -- a sixth-round pick by the St. Louis Rams in 2014 out of SMU -- has joined the Patriots. He also spent time on the New England practice squad in 2014, in addition to his stint in 2021.
He's had stops with Detroit, Oakland, Carolina, and Cleveland, in addition to his time with Dallas and Washington. He was drafted into the AAF in 2018 and was leading the league in passing yards and QB rating when it was shut down midseason in 2019.
Gilbert signed with the Raiders over the offseason, but was released after Josh McDaniels acquired quarterback Jarrett Stidham from the Patriots. Now he's back in New England to provide a little depth for a Patriots team that has been hit with a rash of injuries in its quarterback room.
Mac Jones suffered an ankle injury in Week 3 against the Ravens and is expected to miss multiple weeks. Brian Hoyer got the start in Week 4 against the Packers, but had to leave after suffering a head injury on New England's second offensive drive of the game.
That has left the rookie Zappe as the only healthy QB on the roster. The fourth-round pick out of Western Kentucky made his NFL debut on Sunday after Hoyer went down, and completed 10 of his 15 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown in New England's 27-24 overtime loss.
With Jones and Hoyer likely out for Sunday, Zappe is in line to make his first career start when the Lions come to town. With Gilbert joining the QB room -- he'll likely be elevated to the active roster on Saturday, barring any positive developments on Jones and/or Hoyer -- at least the Patriots will have a backup plan for their backup plan's backup plan.
