‘He’s turning a corner’: Multiple Patriots players have noticed Drake Maye ‘progressing’ in training camp
"He’s a great quarterback with a lot of talent."
Drake Maye impressed in his first extended preseason action on Thursday, and he might have momentum on his side in the battle to become the Patriots’ starting quarterback.
The Patriots rookie reportedly took snaps with the starting offensive line on Sunday. It marks the second straight day that Maye has practiced behind the starting offensive line.
While Maye has had some practice reps behind the first-team offensive line, Jacoby Brissett has reportedly still taken the reps with the projected starting offensive unit. However, Maye outplayed Brissett at Sunday’s practice, according to reporters in attendance.
As Maye takes more reps behind the top offensive line group, his teammates have noticed his growth in recent weeks.
“I feel like every day he comes out here, he’s turning a corner,” Patriots second-year corner Alex Austin told reporters of Maye. “He’s a great quarterback with a lot of talent. He’s been putting in some good looks out there for us on defense. Seeing him out there, getting his first touchdown, and having success last week was great, for sure.”
Veteran receiver K.J. Osborn has spent plenty of time in practice working with Maye on the second unit. The duo reportedly connected for an exciting play along the sideline during Sunday’s practice, with Maye dropping a pass to Osborn along the sideline for a tight grab.
Osborn not only praised Maye’s ability to get him the ball in that situation, but also remarked that the rookie has good ball placement to keep his receivers safe.
“He does a good job at that,” Osborn told reporters.
Off the field, Osborn said Maye is looking to learn through conversations with his teammates.
“Drake has a different type of confidence and leadership,” Osborn said. “He’s a rookie, so he’s still learning. But he’s also a quarterback and a very smart guy. His locker is next to me and [Brissett’s], so he asks me questions and we talk. He’s definitely progressing.”
Whether that type of confidence and leadership will help Maye be named the Patriots’ starting quarterback in Week 1 remains to be seen. But he seemed to close the gap between him and Brissett prior to this weekend with his performance against the Eagles on Thursday. Even though he completed 6 of 11 passes for just 47 yards, Maye looked like he was in command of the offense. He rushed for a touchdown on a keeper and had an impressive incompletion on a deep ball that Javon Baker dropped.
Meanwhile, Brissett struggled. He completed just 3 of 7 passes for 17 yards and threw an interception in the red zone against an Eagles squad that was mostly played their backups.
Patriots coach Jerod Mayo told reporters Friday that the competition isn’t over yet. Patriots executive president of personnel Eliot Wolf liked what he saw on Thursday, but wouldn’t say how close Maye is to starting.
“We’ll have to see,” Wolf said on the possibility of Maye possibly becoming the starter soon on Sunday. “Again, he didn’t get a lot of snaps in the first game. He did pretty well in his snaps the other night. It’s all about building on those successes and seeing where it goes.”
Still, Wolf heaped praise on Maye throughout Sunday. He called the rookie, “very conscientious” and said that Maye “takes all the coaching points.”
“It was really good to see how calm and collected he was,” Wolf said. “He got headbutted at one point by [Eagles linebacker] Nolan Smith and made a nice play on that one, but he’s steadily improved. He’s put his head down and worked. He’s a great teammate, and we’re excited to see where his development can go.
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