Could Drake Maye start Week 1 for the Patriots? Jerod Mayo isn't ruling it out
FOXBORO -- Following Drake Maye's impressive preseason performance on Thursday night, head coach Jerod Mayo seemingly opened the door for Maye to overtake veteran Jacoby Brissett as the team's Week 1 starter. On Friday morning, Mayo kicked that door wide open.
"We have three more days of training camp practices and it's our job as coaches to evaluate. The competition isn't over," Mayo said on a video conference call with reporters on Friday. "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."
While Brissett has been viewed as the team's starter all summer, he hasn't played that well in his limited action during the preseason. The Patriots went three-and-out in his only drive last week against the Panthers, and then did the same on two of his three drives against the Eagles on Thursday night. He drove New England into the red zone on his other drive, but it ended when Brissett made an ill-advised throw into the end zone that Philadelphia picked off. He was 3-for-7 on the evening for 17 yards.
Maye, on the other hand, looked strong in his extended action against the Eagles. He showed poise in the pocket and showed off his big arm on a number of occasions. And when the play called for a short pass -- or when the smart play was to throw the ball away -- Maye took what the Philly defense gave him.
The rookie was 6-for-11 for 47 yards through the air, and added 15 yards on four scrambles, including a rushing touchdown in the second quarter. Mayo was impressed with how the third-overall pick stepped up in the pocket and handled the pressure on Thursday night.
"Some of the things that happened the last couple of weeks was just stepping up into pressure. I thought he did a better job overall with using his legs and really extending plays," Mayo said of Maye. "He made some good throws where we didn't come down with the catch, but he definitely took a step forward."
While Maye's performance on Thursday will give Patriots fans hope for the future and has the coaching staff at least thinking about elevating him to the top of the depth chart, Mayo said that the rookie still has a lot to work on.
"First and foremost is just the entire operation. He needs to be faster, get the guys in and out of the huddle faster, get to the line and just be on point," said Mayo. "That is something for him to work on and he is. We have three more days of camp and that is going to be my emphasis for him."
After a day off on Friday, the Patriots will be back on the practice field Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. They'll get another day off Tuesday before three more practices on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, leading up to next Sunday's preseason finale against the Commanders in Washington.
Mayo said he and his coaching staff will meet Friday to figure out how to divvy up the first-team reps over the next week. But it certainly sounds like Maye will get some run with New England's starters, and now there's even a chance that he could be the Patriots' starting QB come Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
