Could Drake Maye start as quarterback for the New England Patriots in Week 1?
Head coach Jerod Mayo is not ruling out that possibility. After Thursday’s preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Mayo told reporters that there is “definitely still some competition” between the rookie first-round pick and veteran signal-caller Jacoby Brissett.
The comment came after Maye outplayed Brissett in the Patriots’ 14-13 loss to Philly. Maye completed six of 11 passes for 47 yards and scored his first NFL touchdown with a rushing touchdown. Brissett completed 3 of 7 passes for 17 yards and an interception on a pass intended for tight end Austin Hooper in the end zone.
These numbers should give Mayo and Co. something to think about before the season opener, but is there really still serious competition for the starting spot? Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal commented on Early edition with our Phil Perry and Tom E. Curran.
“Do I think it should be a competition? Yes. Do I think it will be a competition? I don’t know,” Bedard said. “But until Jerod Mayo and (offensive coordinator) Alex Van Pelt get Drake Maye involved in practice with the starters, that’s just lip service. It’s not a competition until that happens, and that hasn’t happened on a single snap all summer. He could keep talking about it, but they have to do it.”
Moderator Trenni Casey asked the panel whether they believed Maye would be able to play in the first team in the next few weeks.
“I do,” Perry replied. “I think number one, Drake Maye was good enough. But number two, Jacoby Brissett was bad enough to take away some of those reps. Again, performance principle. You play bad, the other guy plays good, we’ll reconfigure things in practice.”
🔊 Patriots Talk: The Aftermath: Is it time for the Patriots to accelerate Drake Maye’s development? | Listen and subscribe | Watch on YouTube
Curran pointed out that Maye, despite being one of the most talented quarterbacks in the draft, was considered a developmental project and coaches may have already decided what to do with the No. 3 overall pick.
“It’s also the hangover from the things we said in the offseason. We called him a project. We said he was in development,” Curran said. “Albert Breer (of Sports Illustrated) stood up and talked about it earlier this week and said when he talked to people when he got here, Alex Van Pelt and (vice president of player personnel) Eliot Wolf and the rest of the staff looked at him and said, ‘Whoa, this is a really big problem we need to work on here.’ And I trust Albert’s reporting.
“So they’ve already decided which path they’re going to take with him. And I think, hey, Alex Van Pelt, if you’ve done so much to improve him so much, reap the rewards.”
If there is a real QB competition, the Patriots’ preseason finale could be the deciding factor. New England will return to action on Sunday, August 25 at 8 p.m. ET against the Washington Commanders.
You can view the full Early edition Segment below or on YouTube:
