“I took some reps with Drake and he gave me some opportunity balls,” Osborn said. “I was able to get them, that’s what practice is for.”
Osborn’s locker is next to Maye’s, so the two often talk about ball placement, analyze plays, and talk to each other. Maye will also ask Osborn a lot of questions as he continues to build a relationship with his receivers.
“Drake has a different kind of confidence and leadership,” Osborn said. “He’s a freshman, so he’s still learning. But he’s also a quarterback and a very smart guy.”
Coach Jerod Mayo made it clear Friday that the quarterback competition isn’t over, so there could be an opportunity for Maye if he continues to make progress. His teammates have noticed his positive progress and growing confidence.
Eliot Wolf, executive vice president of player personnel, declined to say how close Maye is to the starting lineup, but sounded encouraged after his performance in Thursday’s preseason game.
“Drake is very meticulous,” Wolf said. “He takes all the coaching points. He tries to do everything perfectly. It was really nice to see him go out there the other night and just play ball instead of thinking about these things.”
2. In the kicker competition, experienced Joey Slye has emerged as the frontrunner after knocking out 2023 fourth-round pick Chad Ryland on Sunday.
Slye made all four of his field goals, while Ryland made three of his five attempts, missing from 49 and 56 yards. During halftime, distraction was at full blast, music blaring and teammates yelling and dancing around them.
3. New England’s tight end unit took another blow on Sunday when Mitchell Wilcox sustained an injury during a seven-on-seven period and left the field.
Wilcox had taken over as top tight end with both Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper out injured. Rookie Jaheim Bell made the most of his extra snaps, catching three touchdowns – one from Brissett, Maye and Joe Milton – while working the goal line in an 11-on-11 period. That workload will likely continue for the 23-year-old Bell, who could use it to secure his spot on the 53-man roster.
4. In addition to Henry and Hooper, the Patriots have a few other injuries to contend with. Cornerback Azizi Hearn and defensive tackle Armon Watts both missed their first practice of camp on Sunday, while offensive tackle Calvin Anderson and linebackers Joshua Uche and Oshae Ximines each missed a second day in a row after playing in Thursday’s preseason game.
Safety Marte Mapu, cornerback Shaun Wade and wide receiver JaQuae Jackson also remained out. Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, guard Cole Strange and linebacker Sione Takitaki remain on the physically unable to perform list.
5. The Patriots shuffled their offensive line combinations on Sunday, a sign that the starting group has yet to be decided.
The team initially seemed to have settled on Vederian Lowe at left tackle, Sidy Sow at left guard, David Andrews at center, Michael Onwenu at right guard and Chukwuma Okorafor at right tackle. Now, however, only Andrews appears to be locked in at his position.
At points during Sunday’s practice, Okorafor moved to the left side, Onwenu took over the role of right tackle, rookie Caedan Wallace also moved into right tackle and rookie Layden Robinson moved in to left guard. Wolf and Mayo both indicated that the experimentation will continue until the team finds the optimal combination.
“Coach says he’s trying to find the best starting lineup to compete in Week 1,” Lowe said.
You can reach Nicole Yang at [email protected]. Follow her @nicolecyang.
