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NFL insider: ‘Sentiments within the building’ have Patriots favoring this QB for Week 1
"We’ve all seen the horror stories of sometimes rookie quarterbacks just getting thrown to the wolves."
Jerod Mayo and the Patriots continue to send mixed messages about the current state of the team’s depth chart.
Despite signaling after Sunday’s preseason loss to the Commanders that Drake Maye was still the team’s “second-best quarterback on the roster” behind veteran Jacoby Brissett, New England’s head coach noted the next morning that Maye has been better than his teammate during preseason reps.
“What I will say is that this is a true competition,” Mayo said on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” on Monday. “It wasn’t fluff or anything like that. It’s true competition and I would say at this current point, Drake has outplayed Jacoby.”
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Those comments would seem to contradict one another, at least in terms of determining which QB should get the nod in Week 1 against the Bengals on Sept. 8.
But, Mayo added, other factors might play into New England’s decision as to which signal-caller will start in Cincinnati.
“We have to take in the full body of work,” Mayo added. “Going back to the spring and beginning of training camp and we’ll see where we end up but those are the kind of conversations that will happen here over the next couple of days.”
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Maye has impressed in his reps so far this preseason (21-of-34, 192 passing yards, two touchdowns, 32 rushing yards), but NFL insider Josina Anderson reported Monday that the Patriots are still leaning toward starting Brissett in Week 1, especially with the 31-year-old QB getting cleared after suffering a shoulder injury on Sunday against Washington.
“I’m told even with the rising optimism surrounding Patriots rookie first-round QB Drake Maye, there are some sentiments within the building that it still may be best to have veteran QB Jacoby Brissett start the season given his experience, at this time, per source,” Anderson posted on X. “No official determination has been made as of yet though.
“I was also told Brissett was ‘sore’ following his reported shoulder injury vs. the Commanders the evening of the preseason finale, though I did not hear any major preliminary concern, at that time.”
Anderson’s report seemingly falls in line with the sentiment shared by both Mayo and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt over the last week when it comes to highlighting Brissett’s experience as a determining factor in deciding who starts Week 1.
“I’m sure there’s a chance (Maye could become the starter), but I think as you go in, there’s still a process of how you bring a rookie quarterback along,” Van Pelt said on Thursday. “So I think that’s important to remember as well.
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“There’s certain things in this offense that Jacoby, having played in this offense, understands some of the tools you can use to get you out of certain situations, pressure situations, things like that, that Drake is still learning.”
Even though Maye has made major strides since the start of training camp, his value to the Patriots’ long-term success — coupled with the current state of New England’s shoddy offensive line — might also give Mayo and his staff pause about sending the rookie QB out on the field in Week 1.
“It’s a developmental plan,” Mayo said on Monday about the approach with Maye. “The reason we were excited to get Jacoby here is he has a good understanding of the offense and he’s a great leader, great mentor. He could mentor a guy like Drake and teach him some of the playbook and some of the reads and things like that.”
“We’ve all seen the horror stories of sometimes rookie quarterbacks just getting thrown to the wolves and they fall apart and we didn’t want that to happen. Now, I’m not saying that would happen with Drake at all because he is a mentally tough person and shows resilience and control of the ball.”
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