How another position impacted the Patriots quarterback usage in the preseason opener
The offensive line impacted the Patriots quarterback snap counts in the preseason opener.
Fans hoping to get a long look at rookie Patriots quarterback Drake Maye or projected Week 1 starter Jacoby Brissett in the preseason opener on Thursday night likely came away disappointed. Each only played one drive in the game, with most of the reps going to Bailey Zappe and Joe Milton.
In the end Maye ended up playing just seven snaps. That’s the fewest for a top quarterback in a preseason opener since 2021, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
After the game, head coach Jerod Mayo shared that distribution of reps was the goal all along. “We wanted to see Jacoby obviously go out there and operate as well as Drake, mixing them in there with the ones,” Mayo explained. “The rest of those guys, like Zappe and Joe, they went out there and finished up the game. Thought they did a good job.”
“That was always the plan. The plan was to get [Drake Maye] in there for one series, to get Jacoby in there for one series, and then really turn it into the Zappe show and then the Joe show,” he continued. “That was the plan going in.”
Heading into the game there was speculation the Patriots’ offensive line – which has struggled in training camp – could impact the Patriots quarterback plans. Mayo was asked about that after the game, and confirmed the idea.
“That’s always a consideration. If [Maye] is in there, you want him in there with the starting offensive line,” Mayo explained. “We’ve got to protect guy. Not saying we don’t have to protect the other guys, but absolutely they’re going to.”
For his part, Maye said he didn’t feel limited by the number of reps and highlighted the opportunities he’s gotten in practice. “I think it goes to show, practice matters,” he said. “I think the amount of reps I’m getting in practice is great for me, and I’m just trying to take all the reps that I can get, that I am getting, and make the most of them.”
Maye also shared it’s the offensive staff determining reps, not as much Mayo. “Coach Mayo kind of lets offensive coaches decide – quarterback coaches and AVP [offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt],” he explained.
Still, Maye’s lack of reps has some wondering if the Patriots are going to get a long enough look at him to determine if and when he’s ready to take over as the starter before weekly game prep begins. For now, May says he’s not worried about that.
“This is the first preseason game. We still have two left. He’ll have plenty of opportunities to go against other teams, the two other teams before the regular season,” Mayo said when questioned about getting Maye enough ‘live action.’ “Next week we have the Eagles. So we’ll practice against them and, who knows, the reps will probably change a little bit and we’ll see what happens in the game. But that was the thought process.”
The Patriots return to the practice field on Sunday, ahead of a joint practice against the Eagles on Tuesday. Their Week 2 preseason game will be on Thursday. We’ll see how much – if at all – Maye’s role increases between now and then.
