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Drake Maye rises up depth chart and other takeaways from Patriots’ OTA practice
Drake Maye was second behind Jacoby Brissett during team drills on Tuesday afternoon.
The Patriots returned to the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium for another voluntary OTA session, with Drake Maye’s increased reps drawing plenty of attention.
Here are 10 takeaways from Tuesday’s two-hour practice:
Maye moves up the depth chart
So far this preseason, the Patriots have operated with the “slow and steady” approach to Drake Maye.
But Tuesday’s OTA session saw a change in New England’s depth chart, with Maye second in line for QB reps during team drills behind Jacoby Brissett. During previous OTA sessions, Maye was third behind both Brissett and Bailey Zappe.
“We always talked about earning your reps around here,” Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said. “So as soon as he continues to grow and have successful practices and starts stacking those, then we can think about moving him up on the depth chart. But it’s a process. Like I said, it’s a marathon — so we’re gonna take our time and do it the right way.”
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The 21-year-old QB’s increased reps bode well for his overall progression ahead of mandatory minicamp, with Maye making his best throw of the day off a sidearm toss to DeMario Douglas in the end zone during 7-on-7s.
But 11-on-11 drills presented its fair share of challenges, with Maye knocked for two interceptions by Kyle Dugger and Kaleb Ford-Dement.
“He’s doing well,” Jerod Mayo said. “He’s headed in the right direction. A lot of times, people think it’s this longitudinal just straight line up to the top and realistically, it’s up and down, up and down, up and down. But hopefully you ended up still from left to right going in the right direction. He’s doing well. “
Brissett still QB1
Maye’s progression is encouraging, especially with minicamp right around the corner.
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But make no mistake, Brissett still remains the most-polished QB currently on the roster, with Van Pelt stressing once again that the veteran remains at the top of the depth chart.
“He’s a stud. There’s no question. That’s why he’s here,” Van Pelt said of Brissett. “The person that he is, the leader that he has for his team, and also the player that he is. I think he’s had an exceptional spring.
“He’s got a great command of this offense, and not only that, he’s taking the other guys under his wing and he’s showing them how to establish routine and how to study in this system. … Jacoby, again, is our starter and he’s playing excellent football for us in the spring.”
Several veterans skip session
Much like last Wednesday’s OTA work, several veterans did not participate in this latest voluntary practice, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Here are all of the absences from Tuesday’s session: Matthew Judon, Mike Onwenu, Josh Uche, Jonathan Jones, Chukwuma Okorafor, Jahlani Tavai, Davon Godchaux, Daniel Ekuale, Marcus Jones, Sione Takitaki, Jake Andrews, Zuri Henry, and T.J. Luther.
Kendrick Bourne and Cole Strange were also absent as they recover from their respective season-ending knee injuries from the 2023 season. Rookies Javon Baker and Marcellas Dial were limited.
Defense stands tall in red-zone reps
Even with Maye’s increased reps on Tuesday, New England’s defense dominated in a practice that featured a heavy dose of red-zone reps.
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Given the limited space that New England’s offense could operate in, it should come as little surprise that the defense was going to have the edge in this head-to-head matchup. While Brissett, Maye, and the rest of New England’s QBs capitalized at 7-on-7 drills, 11-on-11 sequences led to uglier results for the Patriots’ offense.
Beyond Maye’s two interceptions, Brissett only completed three of his 12 passes during 11-on-11 sequences.
“Our defense does a great job,” Maye noted. “They do a good job disguising, good job bringing different blitzes so we’re getting great work out here at practice,” Maye said afterward. “Our defense, they make it tough on us — especially in the red zone. It’s tough. A lot of guys down there. … Some throws I wish I had back and some throws I felt pretty good about.”
Near the end of practice, New England’s offensive unit had to all perform push-ups as penance for their lackluster showing against the defense.
Keeping options open at left tackle
While Mike Onwenu is expected to anchor the right tackle spot on New England’s offensive line moving forward, it remains to be seen how the Patriots resolve the most important cog on the O-line at left tackle.
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New England signed veteran tackle Chukwuma Okorafor during the offseason, but the former Steelers O-lineman has primarily played right tackle in his NFL career.
The Patriots also drafted OT Caedan Wallace in the third round (No. 68 overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft, with the team envisioning the Penn State RT as a left tackle at the next level.
For now, Mayo and his staff are keeping their options open when it comes to Okorafor and Wallace’s potential to lock up the LT spot during camp.
“They’re on a similar track,” Mayo said. “Those guys are out there competing. And I would say the one word when you look at those guys is versatility. Obviously, we look at Big Mike, saying he has the right side locked down.
“But these guys are all competing, they’re able to slide at different spots. And they’re working out of a sense of abundance. Guys are working together, trying to get better. And once training camp gets here, we’ll see what happens.”
As for any talk of New England bringing in more tackles between now and the start of the season?
“We’re always trying to bring in good players,” Mayo said. “Those guys are doing well. And we’ll see what happens as the roster continue to play out. Realistically, we’re still early in the process and training camp will reveal a lot.”
Barmore, Austin stand out on defense
While Jabrill Peppers provided most of the smack talk on a strong practice from New England’s defense, it was the play of Christian Barmore up front and Alex Austin in the defensive backup that regularly stood out.
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Barmore, fresh off of signing a new four-year extension worth up to $92 million was a menace against New England’s O-line. Even though players are not allowed to hit the QB during these OTA sessions, Barmore still managed to record a pair of sacks against Brissett by throwing offensive linemen into him.
Austin was one of the few bright spots during the final weeks of the 2023 season when it came to his development, with the 23-year-old corner continuing to stack strong practices this preseason.
With several veteran corners not practicing on Tuesday, Austin logged plenty of snaps and recorded a pass breakup on a Brissett pass intended for Tyquan Thornton.
Pop Douglas … pops
For all of the struggles for New England’s offense Tuesday, Douglas routinely flashed his stop-start footwork and route-running during red-zone reps — reeling in at least four touchdowns during team drills.
“Can’t guard him in a phone booth,” Maye said of Douglas, who he compared to former UNC wideout Josh Downs when it comes to his speed and ability to change direction on a dime.
Meeting Brady
Speaking after Tuesday’s practice, Maye was asked about what it was like to meet Tom Brady in Los Angeles during the NFLPA’s Rookie Premiere event.
“It was awesome. Getting a chance to be around Tom, see how he’s wired. He’s wired different,” Maye said. “He’s ‘the GOAT.’ So just getting a chance to hear some wisdom from him is an awesome experience. Looking forward to hopefully asking him some more questions.”
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Maye added that he plans on attending Brady’s Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Gillette Stadium on June 12.
Slater’s presence
Dont’a Hightower is far from the only former Patriots standout who is now on Mayo’s revamped staff.
Former special-teams ace Matthew Slater is sticking around in Foxborough as a full-time staffer, with ESPN’s Mike Reiss reporting in April that Slater is serving as Mayo’s “right-hand man” – although an official title for his role has not been revealed.
Speaking on Tuesday, Mayo explained what Slater helps him with as he navigates his new role as Patriots head coach.
“Everything. Like seriously, he’s a catch-all,” Mayo said of Slater. “Remember, we came in together. We’re like brothers. He played a lot longer than me. And I’ve said this before, who knew? Slate should be a gold-jacket guy.
“But who knew at that time. We think very, very much alike. What I will say is at this level, it’s hard to find people to tell you the truth. And he’s one of those guys that he’ll let me know what it really is .”
Odds and ends
Patriots owner Robert Kraft took in the Patriots’ OTA session along the sidelines, chatting with Jerod Mayo at one point.
Chad Ryland, who is looking to put a tough rookie season behind him, went 4-of-5 on field goal attempts on Tuesday.
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