Getty Bill Belichick looked at another quarterback this week.
While the New England Patriots moved rookie dual-threat quarterback Malik Cunningham to wide receiver, the team took a look at another running quarterback.
New England hosted former Elon quarterback Matthew McKay along with a crew of free agents on Monday, July 24, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss. Similar to Cunningham, McKay didn’t get draft and visited Foxboro amid his latest NFL tryout attempt.
The Patriots also hosted wide receivers Darion Chafin and Jalen Hurd, linebacker Diego Fagot, and defensive tackles Aaron Crawford, Bruce Hector, and Khalil Davis per Reiss. New England ultimately signed Hurd and Fagot to the 90-man roster for training camp.
McKay threw for 2,709 yards and 21 touchdowns in addition to rushing for 458 yards and three touchdowns in 2022. He previously played for Montana State in 2021 after two seasons with North Carolina State.
Overall, McKay tallied 5,708 yards passing for 41 touchdowns plus 873 yards and 10 scores on the ground. He helped Elon go 8-4 last year and aided a 12-3 MSU squad the year before. McKay notably helped N.C. State go 3-1 during a four-game stretch in 2019 when he threw 28 or more passes.
After going undrafted, McKay participated in the Dallas Cowboys rookie minicamp.
Patriots Full at Quarterback
New England looks full at quarterback with training camp underway. The Patriots return Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe in addition to free agent signee Trace McSorley.
Cunningham’s signing created a stir after the draft, and he played quarterback during the rookie minicamp in May. The Patriots moved him over to receiver full-time afterward.
Jones looks to lockdown the starting job again in his third season despite a subpar 2022 campaign. Zappe, who shined in two starts last year, expects to challenge if the opportunity arises.
“If my opportunity presents itself, like I’ve been saying, I’m going to take full advantage of it,” Zappe told WJAR TV’s Joe Kayata in April. “I’m going to do everything I can to help the team win. That’s really all I can say from that standpoint. That’s coach [Bill] Belichick’s decision, whatever he decides.”
“But if the opportunity presents itself, I’m going to be ready and take advantage of it,” Zappe added.
Jones emerged as the “unquestioned starter” during minicamp according to Patriots.com’s Evan Lazar. Zappe could step up as the starter if Jones falters at some point, however.
McSorley could serve as a dual-threat asset on the practice squad if not needed as a backup. The Patriots face a dearth of dual-threat quarterbacks this season from division rivals such as Josh Allen to NFC stars such as Jalen Hurts.
Two Patriots QBs Have Previous Ties to OC Bill O’Brien
When the Patriots hired Bill O’Brien as the new offensive coordinator, his previous ties to Jones through Alabama received fanfare. Jones isn’t the only Patriots quarterback with a previous O’Brien connection.
O’Brien, who coached Penn State from 2012 to 2013, recruited McSorley during that span. McSorely played for the Nittany Lions from 2014 to 2018 after O’Brien returned to the NFL for the Houston Texans head coaching job.
Jones also never played for O’Brien, leaving Alabama in 2021 for the NFL Draft when O’Brien became the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator.