Drake Maye's debut and everything else we're watching for in New England Patriots' preseason opener
FOXBORO -- The New England Patriots play a football game tonight. It's not a "real" football game since it's only the team's preseason opener, but regardless, Thursday night's exhibition against the Panthers will certainly have our attention.
This will be our first look at Jerod Mayo's Patriots in a game setting. We'll get to see rookie Drake Maye get his first NFL-level game snaps. We'll get a look at the two rookie receivers that have been turning heads in training camp, and we'll get to see for ourselves what the offensive line looks like.
We'll also be shown a very vanilla New England defense (they save all the good stuff for the regular season, you know), but should they see the field, heavy-hitters like Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, and Keion White will get to finally lay some licks on someone who isn't a teammate.
Mayo himself is gearing up for his first warmup as an NFL head coach.
"I'm excited. I'm excited to be on the sideline, and honestly, I'm excited for the players to go out there and perform well," the 38-year-old Mayo said this week. "That's the main thing."
While the final score won't matter much, tonight's 60 minutes of football is incredibly important to the majority of the New England roster. Here's what we'll be watching for when the Pats and the Panthers kick off at Gillette Stadium.
Drake Maye at quarterback
Mayo said Tuesday that the plan is to play all four quarterbacks, with veteran Jacoby Brissett expected to get the start. That's the plan to start the actual season, so no surprise there.
We'll see how much Brissett plays and how he does getting Alex Van Pelt's offense off and running. But everyone will be waiting for Brissett to get his series or two out of the way and make way for the rookie.
All eyes will be locked on Maye whenever he gets in, because there is a lot depending on the development of the third overall pick. We'll get our first look at the 21-year-old in game action, and he's coming off a real solid stretch in training camp.
Maye has been praised for making quick reads and nice throws to receivers, and now we'll see if that translates against an actual defense. He's thrived mostly in 7-on-7s but struggled when the offensive and defensive lines have joined the fray. He'll have to amend that quickly.
Maye has been playing with the team's second unit in camp, and that will likely continue on Thursday. It would be nice to see him get some run with the top team, but that will could be a week or two away -- if it happens at all. We'll be soaking in all the Maye play we get this preseason, since it might be a while before we see him again.
After Maye, eyes will be on Joe Milton III, with everyone eager to see the sixth-round pick get a chance to air it out. He's got a monster arm and will have a chance to make a name for himself in preseason action as he battles Bailey Zappe for the No. 3 QB spot on the depth chart.
Pats fans have probably seen enough Zappe over the last two years, but he is fighting for his job. He'll also be showcasing himself for a potential trade or his next opportunity should he not make the New England roster.
The New England Offensive Line
Once again, the biggest concern about the New England Patriots is the state of the offensive line. There are a lot of folks worried about the well-being of any quarterback who takes the field for the Patriots right now.
It will be interesting to see which group Mayo and OL coach Scott Peters sends out to start, and then which groupings they play throughout the game. Rookie Caedan Wallace had been lining up at left tackle in practice, but Vederian Lowe got the blindside Monday and Tuesday. Calvin Anderson and Chukwuma Okorafor traded off right tackle duties, while Sidy Sow and Mike Onwenu lined up at the two guard spots alongside center David Andrews.
It has been Andrews with Sow and Onwenu by his side all camp, so the middle of the line seems set. The tackles are the real spots to watch, since just about everyone is a big question mark at the end of the line.
We'll see when and where Wallace (a third round pick out of Penn State) makes his debut Thursday, and what that means for the rest of the line. But it's not just the starters we'll be watching.
The Patriots need to build up their depth along the line, so it will be an important evening for every lineman. Lowe and guards Layden Robinson and Michael Jordan have opportunities to solidify their spots on the depth chart. Nick Leverett has been solid as the team's backup center behind Andrews, while Atonio Mafi has struggled in his transition from guard to center.
We've heard from New England defensive linemen that the offensive line has been much more aggressive in their battles. Let's see that on the field Thursday night against the Panthers.
Patriots rookie receivers
We've heard about Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker making some amazing catches in practice, and we've even seen a few on social media. Now let's see what the rookies can do against an opposing defense.
The scouting report on Polk is that he catches just about everything he can get his hands on. Baker is a guy who can get downfield and make contested catches in traffic, and really give defenses someone to think about every time the ball is snapped.
They both have a long way to go, but we'll see them take off from the starting line on Thursday night.
Patriots receivers fighting for a job
Polk, Baker, Demario Douglas, and Kendrick Bourne (currently on PUP) are seemingly locks to make the roster. Offseason signing K.J. Osborn is likely in that group too.
But there are a slew of receivers fighting for a roster spot, highlighted by veteran Juju Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte, and Jalen Reagor.
Reagor has a nice cushion in that he can make the team as a return man. The rest of that group is really going to have to play out this preseason to make the team.
Smith-Schuster says he's healthy after a disappointing first season in New England. But he hasn't done much in camp and hasn't been moving well, looking more like a 37-year-old receiver than a 27-year-old receiver.
Thornton was a second-round pick just three years ago, but injuries derailed his first two seasons. He's had a pretty good camp, but has a lot to show over these next three weeks.
"Two years in, I haven't done anything, basically," Thornton said Tuesday. "So Year 3, I definitely want to come out here and prove myself right."
Boutte has been solid the last few days in practice, and he had a nice touchdown grab from Maye over corner Alex Austin on Tuesday. Now he's got to go do that in a game setting, after he had just two catches as a rookie last season.
A good game on Thursday won't guarantee any of them a roster spot, but it would certainly help their cause.
Defensive gamechangers?
There aren't many concerns on the New England defense, which should be a solid unit once again. Maybe we'll get to see a few of the team's gamechangers on D get some run against the Panthers.
Matthew Judon has been a defensive gamechanger for the Patriots, but he isn't very happy with the team. Chances are we won't see him Thursday night, though he did say he'd play -- just not practice -- on his current contract. So we shall see.
We may not see much of him, but it will be nice to see top corner Christian Gonzalez in game action after his rookie season was cut short by a torn labrum and dislocated shoulder. He started strong in camp but has been up-and-down as of late, so maybe a little real competition will do him well.
And when it comes to Keion White, let's see the big fella deliver one of those bone-crushing hits. That is a sure sign that football is indeed back, even if it's just the preseason version.
Tune in to Thursday night's Patriots-Panthers preseason opener on WBZ-TV -- the television home of the New England Patriots. Pregame coverage kicks off at 6:30 pm with a special edition of Patriots GameDay, followed by Patriots-Panthers at 7 pm, and we'll wrap things up with Patriots 5th Quarter after the game!