FOXBORO, Mass. — Drake Maye’s New England Patriots debut came and went in the blink of an eye.
The rookie quarterback saw his first NFL action in Thursday night’s preseason game against the Carolina Panthers. But, much to the dismay of fans enduring rainy conditions at Gillette Stadium, Maye saw just one series in the first quarter and didn’t do much. He was neither bad nor good — but he got his feet wet.
Let’s go over some initial takeaways from Maye’s debut.
Initial Thoughts on Drake Maye’s Preseason Cup of Coffee
(Note: We published this story assuming Maye wouldn’t return to the game. We’ll update with more information should the Patriots reverse course.)
The Rookie Barely Played — and Fans Weren’t Happy
Maye replaced starter Jacoby Brissett with 11:11 left in the first quarter and saw just seven snaps.
- Antonio Gibson 1-yard run.
- Chukwuma Okorafor false start.
- Gibson 2-yard run.
- Gibson 13-yard catch (first down).
- Incomplete to Jalen Reagor.
- Gibson rush for 1-yard loss.
- Kevin Harris 6-yard run.
- Punt.
That’s it. Aside from a 16-yard pass to Reagor, who didn’t make a contested catch, Maye just handed the ball off and threw checkdowns.
Drake Maye's first downfield pass goes through the hands of Jalen Reagor pic.twitter.com/c1Z1ZeGuXk
— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) August 8, 2024
The Patriots understandably played things safe with their prized young quarterback, who has played conservatively throughout training camp.
When Bailey Zappe came out for the Patriots’ next series, the disappointed — and sparse — crowd at Gillette Stadium greeted the third-year QB with boos. It was an odd turn of fate, as we’re used to seeing fans begging for Zappe to replace a young Patriots quarterback wearing No. 10.
Regardless, Maye’s first NFL snaps are now out of the way. It’ll be interesting to see whether he sees more action next Thursday when the Patriots host the Philadelphia Eagles.
Maye Saw His First Reps With Patriots’ Top O-Line
Maye’s debut was noteworthy for one significant reason: it saw him play with New England’s top O-line for the first time this summer. It was an important checkpoint.
Maye has played with the second-team line since the start of training camp, though the Patriots have rotated their tackles.
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But Thursday’s game offered our first look at Maye playing behind center David Andrews and guards Mike Onwenu and Sidy Sow, something reporters had been waiting for.
Was it a strange choice for Mayo to use a game environment to give Maye his first reps with the top O-line? Perhaps, but it had to happen sometime.
Patriots Tackles Were a Problem
Perhaps Mayo always planned to insert Zappe for the third drive. However, we’re not ruling out the possibility that he pulled the plug after watching how the offensive line — the tackles, specifically — played in front of the 21-year-old rookie.
Okorafor false-started on Maye’s second snap. Vederian Lowe gave up immediate pressure on Gibson’s 13-yard catch-and-run. Lowe and Sow allowed a run-stuff two plays later. Okorafor got dusted on Maye’s final rep.
Just look at Lowe (No. 59) on this play:
.@DrakeMaye2 to Gibson to move the chains ⛓️
📺: @wbzsports pic.twitter.com/FvfkqDAJNi
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 8, 2024
Maye needs more game action and work with the top offensive line. But giving him any more reps behind Lowe and Okorafor, given the way they looked on that drive, would’ve been courting disaster in a meaningless game.
Regardless of Mayo’s intentions, removing Maye after just one series might’ve been for the best.
This Changes Nothing About Patriots’ QB Battle
Maye’s debut might’ve set the stage for increased work with the first-team offense next week when the Patriots will host the Eagles for a single joint practice in Foxboro.
Maybe the rookie seizes the opportunity and finally puts pressure on Brissett, who’s leading the non-existent QB battle by a mile.
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But Thursday’s performance didn’t get Maye any closer to being the Week 1 starter. Not because he played poorly; rather, his reps were more necessary than competitive. The Patriots just wanted Maye to put in some work and make it out alive.
The training wheels are still on. Until they’re off, there’s no QB competition to speak of.
