Three rookies are set to start at quarterback this week, but Drake Maye is not one of them.
The Patriots are going with Jacoby Brissett after the veteran outlasted the third overall pick this summer. It wasn’t a surprising outcome given Maye’s limited starting experience in college and the challenges that the overall makeup of the roster in New England will provide any signal caller, but head coach Jerod Mayo added some intrigue to the proceedings when he said Maye had outplayed Brissett in the preseason.
In an interview with Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald, Patriots vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said that the worst thing the team could do for Maye’s development is put him in the starting lineup before he’s ready. Wolf didn’t say when he thought Maye might be ready, but added that the plan is not because the team lacks confidence in Maye’s ability.
“We do have confidence in Drake,” Wolf said. “It’s not like we’re just going to let him collect dust for the year. He’s going to be out there in practice taking reps, he’s going to take some reps with the [starters], he’s going to take some reps on the scout team and continue to progress and develop in that regard.”
Wolf said the issue of whether Maye’s development continues in game action is one that will be impacted by how Brissett and the Patriots fare on the field. Expectations are low on that front as the Patriots are generally predicted to be one of the league’s worst teams, but it’s unclear how bad things will have to be for the Patriots to make the change.