As the Patriots’ highest draft pick in over three decades, Drake Maye’s preseason debut on Thursday was highly anticipated by fans. Unfortunately, the third pick’s debut left New England fans wanting more, as the rookie signal-caller only played one series against the Carolina Panthers.
Speaking on Sunday, head coach Jerod Mayo gave Patriots fans a welcome update, revealing that Maye will play “a lot more” in New England’s preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Jerod Mayo: “This week Drake Maye will play a lot more.”
— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) 11 August 2024
Mayo explained that in addition to Maye, all of the Patriots starters should get more playing time against the Eagles. This week’s game should provide a much more representative picture of New England’s Week 1 roster than we saw against Carolina.
Maye completed two of his three passes for 19 yards in his only series against Carolina on Thursday. Third-year quarterback Bailey Zappe got the majority of the playing time at quarterback, while rookie Joe Milton provided some highlights in his first professional appearance.
The projected starter, veteran Jacoby Brissett, also played one series. In his postgame comments, Mayo admitted that the New England coaching staff had concerns about having Maye play behind the second offensive line and that it was part of the pregame plan that Maye and Brissett would only play one series.
Although his first game experience was limited, Maye spoke about his excitement about stepping onto the field at Gillette Stadium:
“I think it was great, first of all, being out there in the stadium. Other than yesterday’s walk-on, it was the first time I’d been in the stadium since the day after I was drafted, so it was a different feeling being there with the fans. I had a little bit of goosebumps, but it was just great to compete against someone else.”
– Drake Maye on his preseason debut
New England and Philadelphia will participate in a joint practice on Tuesday. Coaching staffs typically place a high value on joint practices, so it will be interesting to see how Maye performs in that setting against the Eagles.
After a disappointing, abbreviated debut, Patriots fans should tune in Thursday to see a much larger selection of their third pick, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. ET.
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