The Patriots lost their final preseason game to the Commanders 20-10 on Sunday night. It was a classic scenario of good news and bad news.
The good news? Rookie quarterback Drake Maye, who New England selected with the third pick in this spring’s draft and hopes represents the future of its franchise, had another solid preseason outing. In his five drives, Maye threw for 126 yards and a touchdown and overall looked like an NFL starting quarterback. The touchdown pass showcased his talent on the throwing arm, as he tossed the ball on a rope across the field to running back Kevin Harris. Another pass, from play-action with his back to defense, to rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk on a crossing route, gave an idea of what this Patriots offense wants to be. Also crucial was Maye running 17 yards to convert a third-and-14.
Why did I say “crucial”? Well, here’s the bad news. This offseason was supposed to be about jump-starting Maye’s development and figuring out if and when he might be ready to play. But it looks like Maye’s progress is on hold as long as, in order to get into the game, he has to be behind the offensive line responsible for those third-and-longs, an offensive line that might be among the worst in the league and has repeatedly put New England’s quarterbacks in danger.
The offensive line proved to be a glaring problem throughout training camp. I visited Foxborough earlier this month when the Patriots held a joint practice with the Eagles, and phew, boy. It was rough. It was just one day, and I thought this practice would be the low point for this team’s offensive line this summer. But then came Sunday night. I don’t know how you can compare a practice in which the first- and second-team offenses allowed more sacks than passes completed to a game in which protection lapses resulted in multiple injuries, including one to quarterback Jacoby Brissett, and the starting linemen generally had trouble making simple plays. But to break the tie, the Patriots’ offensive line was so weak and so haphazard on Sunday night that referee Shawn Hochuli couldn’t resist ribbing tackle Chukwuma Okorafor for his second of three illegal lineup penalties on the game.
“Illegal establishment, Once againLeft Tackle No. 77,” Hochuli said.
Being rude to a Hochuli is the absolute lowest point. Sorry. I don’t make the rules.
Of course, the offensive line was also a problem last year. A big one. New England fielded an offensive line that ranked 32nd in pass block win rate and 22nd in expected points per run attempt entering the 2023 season. Their tackling, in particular, was poor—New England ranked 21st in total pressures allowed and 26th in average time to pressure last season—and was a big part of the offensive chaos that characterized Bill Belichick’s final year as head coach.
But in the offseason, as the Patriots tried to rebuild for the Drake Maye era while still having ample salary cap space, their roster moves to improve the offensive line were relatively minor. New England signed former Steelers tackle Okorafor to a one-year deal and drafted two players: former Penn State tackle Caedan Wallace in the third round and former Texas A&M guard Layden Robinson in the fourth.
That meant that the offensive line at the start of training camp consisted of Vederian Lowe and Okorafor at left and right tackle, Sidy Sow and Mike Onwenu at left and right guards, and David Andrews at center – a disappointing, albeit experienced, group. Rookies Wallace and Robinson were expected to work primarily with the backups, while guard Cole Strange, a first-round pick in the 2022 draft, continued to rehab a serious knee injury from last season.
But throughout the preseason, that group has been in flux. Lowe battled an oblique injury last week that forced Okorafor to move from right to left, Onwenu to right tackle and Robinson to the starting group at right guard. Then, on Sunday night, Sow went down with an ankle injury and backup Michael Jordan came in in his place.
Andrews at center is the only solid position, and even if everyone gets healthy soon, the line still leaves a lot to be desired. Okorafor and a couple of mid-round draft picks were never going to be much of a boost.
It’s not like anyone thought the Patriots would field a top-five line this season. And preseason results are nothing to get excited about. New England has over $50 million in salary cap space left this year — though those deep pockets make their limited free agency signings all the more odd. But New England’s offensive line issues have stood out not just because they were particularly glaring, but because they suddenly seem to be getting in the way of Maye’s development.
If the Patriots could give him more protection, Maye would certainly be the starting quarterback in Week 1. He was better than Brissett in training camp despite playing less with the starters, and his performances in preseason games were significantly better. Even Mayo said as much in a radio interview with WEEI on Monday.
“Drake has surpassed Jacoby,” Mayo said.
Still, it looks like Maye will start the season on the bench as long as Brissett is healthy. (Brissett, who started Sunday’s preseason game, injured his shoulder when he was sacked on New England’s first drive on a play that involved several Patriots players colliding.)
New England has not yet named an official starter, but several reports indicate the team is leaning in that direction. Last week, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt referred to Brissett as the team’s “starting quarterback.”
If that’s the case, it stands to reason that the entire offensive ecosystem is a factor, even if Maye has played better than he has – which is true according to the head coach and was certainly true the day I watched practice. While Maye might be ready, the rest of the team just isn’t. That’s a fair way to look at it, especially considering what New England went through with its last first-round pick at quarterback, Mac Jones.
To some extent, the Patriots prepared for that by signing Brissett. He came to New England as a known quantity with a lot of goodwill – he was a popular backup for the Patriots in 2016 and had his best season as a starter in Cleveland in 2022 under offensive coordinator Van Pelt, who now calls plays in New England. Brissett is an ideal bridge quarterback – competent and friendly – to play until a rookie like Maye is ready.
But the thing is, Brissett hasn’t had a good training camp. That’s largely because he’s just not the type of quarterback who can do much to mitigate a porous offensive line. During the 2022 season in Cleveland, Brissett played behind a line that included two Pro Bowl guards (Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller) and a line that finished the season third overall in pass block win rate. Any quarterback would find such a situation helpful, but especially one like Brissett, whose mobility is limited.
That’s not to say Maye’s pressure game is perfect. His college footage paints a mixed picture — his sack rate of 19 percent was lower than that of Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, the two quarterbacks selected ahead of him in the draft, but it’s still higher than ideal. Maye was pressured too often.
Nevertheless, Maye’s game is simply much more agile and athletic than Brissett’s. He is better suited to run away from pressure. And in college, he was particularly accurate when he shot from outside the pocket.
The Patriots face a bit of a paradox. They want to protect Maye from their offensive line, but Maye is actually better suited to the type of environment that line is likely to create.
They may try to wait as long as possible, but I’m betting all of this means Maye will be in the lineup sooner rather than later. Mayo is a first-year head coach, and securing a spot in the locker room will be crucial. And a coach who has told his players there will be a competition for quarterback can’t bench the guy who, by all accounts, won that competition forever — even if it’s for his own good. Even if management is thinking about 2025 or 2026, players are thinking about success this year, the team’s and their own.
