Patriots Announce Starting Quarterback Heading Into Preseason Opener

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The New England Patriots open up the 2023 preseason against the Houston Texans on Thursday night.

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Mac Jones has seemingly had the edge in New England's quarterback competition,

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and when the team released its first unofficial depth chart this week, the 2021 first-round pick was listed as QB1.

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Second-year signal caller Bailey Zappe, a fourth-round pick in 2022, is listed as the backup, followed by Trace McSorley and Malik Cunningham.

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Jones being slotted in as the starter is good news for him for Week 1,

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but it seems unlikely we'll see him play tomorrow night, based on reports out of Patriots camp.

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Bill Belichick himself said on Tuesday that the "lesser experienced players" will receive the bulk of the snaps against Houston.

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"But the players who are least experienced will get the most playing time," he said, via NESN.com. "I can tell you that."

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