Patriots rookie Drake Maye was the best quarterback to take the field in New England's final two preseason games. He showed encouraging signs and his potential gave fans hope. Maye stacked practices as well, turning a corner in the second half of training camp with his physical skill set and early development.
But it wouldn't be wise for the Patriots to start the 2024 third overall pick in Week 1.
While Maye feels he's ready to be thrown into the fire, the group in front of Maye is not ready for him. New England's offensive line is holding the offense hostage after embarrassing performances in joint practice against the Philadelphia Eagles and a preseason loss against the Washington Commanders.
The irony of the situation is that Maye, who's far more mobile and athletic than veteran Jacoby Brissett, might give the current offense a better chance to succeed. But the success of New England's offense in 2024 absolutely should not be the deciding factor.
It boils down to one thought: The Patriots can't make matters worse by keeping Maye on the sideline.
The 21-year-old signal-caller could continue his development with offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and quarterback coach TC McCartney behind the scenes. He would have a front-row seat to Brissett on game day, gaining more intel on the game day experience. He can watch and diagnose NFL defenses, which are vastly different than cookie-cutter preseason defenses, on tape without the threat of live bullets. It would not cause Maye to take a step back.
New England absolutely could make matters worse by playing Maye, though. The progress he made since May, and especially in recent weeks, quickly could be lost.
Does this photo look like a good situation for a rookie quarterback?
How about this one?
The Patriots offensive line allowed a dozen or more sacks against the Eagles in joint practice in mid-August. It would have been fair to view that as rock bottom, but it hasn't gotten better despite what Eliot Wolf might say.
New England's top offensive line -- second-string center Nick Leverett replaced David Andrews -- nearly put Brissett on injured reserve Sunday after a bone-crushing sack on the first possession. Brissett did not return to the game after he suffered a shoulder injury. And it's not like the Commanders were trotting out starting defensive tackles Jonathan Allen or Daron Payne either. The Patriots starters were going against backups.
The reinsertion of Andrews, the frontrunner for Patriots MVP this season, might help offset some of those issues. But Patriots fans shouldn't bank on the veteran captain clicking his heels together and it all going away.
"I think it is a concern," Mayo said Sunday night about the offensive line, per a team-provided transcript.
Why put a developing rookie quarterback, who has shown he's on the right track to becoming a franchise signal-caller, in harm's way? And for what? It wouldn't make sense.
This isn't to say the answer is to keep Maye on the shelf throughout the 2024 season, but the risk isn't worth the reward at this point. Instead, the Patriots should be patient. Not only with Maye, but also with the group in front of him.
