Jacoby Brissett continues to be QB1 for the Patriots. Drake Maye continues to be the second-stringer.
And it all continues to be subject to change.
“We have three more days of training camp practices, and it’s our job as coaches to evaluate,” coach Jerod Mayo told reporters on Friday. “The competition isn’t over. They’re still going to go out there, and they have to show not only themselves and their coaches but also their teammates. So, it’s definitely still a competition.”
Last night, Mayo said Maye will play: (1) when he’s ready; and (2) when he’s better than Brissett. Some would say Maye is already better than Brissett, especially after last night. The question then becomes when do they think Maye will be ready?
There’s a balance between not overwhelming (and potentially ruining) a young quarterback and helping him get better later by getting him reps now.
Plenty of great quarterbacks took their lumps as rookies. Peyton Manning went 3-13 with the Colts. And, by the next year, the Colts were ready to become perennial contenders.
The sooner Maye moves toward his ceiling, the sooner the Patriots will move out of their current category of “don’t hold your breath for the postseason.”