The injury and extended absence of New England Patriots starting center David Andrews won't impact the timeline of rookie quarterback Drake Maye.
Well, that's what Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said when he confirmed Andrews will undergo shoulder surgery and likely miss the remainder of the season.
"I would say those are independent of each other," Mayo told reporters at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, per a team-provided video. "You always want to have a veteran center in there. But that being said, they don't tie in together."
Don't they tie together, though? It feels like being without the starting center, who is responsible for protections and pre-snap adjustments, should play a role in the rookie signal-caller taking snaps.
Especially given the struggles the group has had through four games. Veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett has been sacked 15 times and no team has allowed more pressures than the Patriots. They rank among the worst teams in the league in pass-blocking metrics.
Now they're without their most experienced and arguably best offensive linemen and Mayo says they don't tie together? It's hard to believe Eliot Wolf and company having that line of thinking.
Nick Leverett is expected to replace Andrews as the starting center with Bryan Hudson as his backup. Leverett fared fine when he replaced Andrews against the San Francisco 49ers, but given what he and New England's depth centers showed during the preseason, it's no certainty that will continue.
Should Leverett get injured or struggle much like the rest of the offensive line has, it would behoove the Patriots to think long and hard about inserting their most important asset.
