The Patriots carried three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster but don't have one on the practice squad, which could make things dicey if a signal-caller got hurt.
That scenario would only be a problem if New England had zero confidence in Drake Maye. Jerod Mayo admitted the rookie "outplayed" Jacoby Brissett in the preseason, but the head coach named the veteran QB the starter.
It's a decision that made sense given the state of the offensive line, but it also means Brissett could take a couple of shots as he did in the preseason finale. The 31-year-old injured his shoulder, but he later said it wasn't too serious. But what if he does suffer a serious injury? Would Mayo trust Maye to start the following week?
"When we talk about developing a guy like Drake Maye, look, that is a continuous process," Mayo told reporters Monday, per team-provided video. "If Jacoby was to get injured in the first week, 1000% Drake Maye would be the next guy in as the No. 2 quarterback on our roster."
When a reporter followed up and asked if Maye would be ready to start, Mayo said the 22-year-old would have "no choice" because he's their second-string quarterback. As to why Maye isn't starting right away, Mayo stressed that even though he spoke with the rest of the coaching staff, he felt Brissett was the right guy to help them win games and it was his decision. He added the team was 100% behind Brissett as the starting QB.
