Heading into the second NFL appearance of his career, New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye will likely get more playing time this week than he did against the Panthers.
Last week, Maye played just one offensive drive, completing two of three passes for 19 yards. He wasn’t asked to do much, but his duties should increase this week.
Latest on What We Know About Drake Maye’s Status Against Philadelphia
First-year head coach Jerod Mayo pairs up with Maye in his first season as an NFL quarterback, making this both of their first preseasons in their respective positions.
Mayo played eight seasons with the Patriots from 2008-15, so his understanding of an NFL preseason isn’t null. However, he’s experiencing his first NFL preseason as a head coach. That’s a much different role than he had with the Patriots before, as Mayo was an inside linebackers coach from 2019-23.
Again, much different role than being the head coach.
Last week against Carolina, Mayo decided to give the No. 3 overall pick just one drive on offense, and in that one drive, one of Maye’s two completions included a screen pass that went for 12 of his 19 yards.
Maye entered the 2024 NFL Draft as one of the top quarterback prospects, but New England has made it clear that eight-year NFL veteran Jacoby Brissett is their starter as of now. The idea of sitting quarterbacks drafted that high is becoming more of an unfollowed practice, but it appears to be what New England is doing with Maye.
This week, when the Patriots face off against the Eagles, Maye is expected to see more of the field.
Jerod Mayo: “This week, Drake Maye will play a lot more.”
— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) August 11, 2024
With Joe Milton III stealing the show in the first preseason matchup for New England, this week seems to be more about getting Maye acclimated to NFL speed.
There doesn’t appear to be a rush to get Maye in the starting lineup, but that also doesn’t seem to be something the Patriots are trying to avoid. Mayo commented not long after the draft saying that Maye had a lot to work on, and that’s expected for all rookies entering the NFL.
The transition from NCAA competition to the NFL level is night and day. That becomes even more true when the NCAA competition is within the ACC. Among college football conferences, the ACC doesn’t stack up as well as the SEC or Big Ten.
So, with Maye being a 30-game starter for North Carolina and throwing for 8,000 yards and 63 touchdowns, it wasn’t seen as impressive as someone doing the same in the SEC.
It’s a bit of an unfair criticism, but with Maye expected to see more playing time throughout the preseason, the more reps he gets against NFL talent, the better the Patriots are in the long run.