Report: Patriots signing QB Ian Book to practice squad

The New England Patriots are signing former Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book to the team’s practice squad, per Doug Kyed.

In 2021, the New Orleans Saints used a fourth round pick on Book. He then went on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022, making the Patriots his third team in as many NFL seasons.

During his two NFL seasons, Ian Book has only played in one regular season game. He went 12 for 20 in that game, throwing for 135 yards and two interceptions. It was a far cry from the success he had found in college, where Book was a consistent winner and became the winningest quarterback in Notre Dame history.

The Patriots have had some issues finding a backup quarterback this season, after sending Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham to the practice squad initially, before bringing in Matt Corral who later left without notice.

Corral was labeled with an “exempt-left squad designation” when this happened. In his place, Zappe was activated from the team’s practice squad to act as the backup to Mac Jones.

The exempt-left squad designation is very rare to see. Essentially, it means that he can return to New England at any time. He’s still on the team, he just has an odd designation. When head coach Bill Belichick was asked about this, he chose to remain coy in his response, though he did later say they had been in contact.

“He’s on exempt status. I don’t have any comment on it. That’s a personal matter,” Belichick said.

Along with signing Ian Book to the team’s practice squad, the Patriots also gave Bailey Zappe a contract extension. So, it looks like Zappe is going to be Jones’ backup quarterback after all. However, Book, Cunningham, and potentially Corral if he chooses to return to the team all could help round out the position.

Patriots insider on Matt Corral’s absence

Naturally, there are a lot of questions about Matt Corral around New England. However, Patriots reporter Henry McKenna warned that it’s important to worry about Corral the person first.

“He just left the team,” McKenna’s source told him. “Let’s just make sure he’s OK. I don’t know if it’s mental health. I just know he kind of flaked out. … Let’s be careful this guy doesn’t get thrown to the wolves.”

Corral has openly discussed mental health issues in the past. That included a 2022 interview where he spoke about battling depression at Ole Miss.

“I was still training, and it just felt like I was just going through the motions,” Corral said. “It just felt like I was being stagnant. There was no purpose as to what I was doing.”