Is Jerod Mayo ready to make his quarterback ‘competition’ a reality?
FOXBORO — Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo has hinted at the idea, the concept, of a quarterback competition during Patriots training camp and the preseason. But to this point, the word “competition” has been nothing more than just that, a word.
The reality is that Jacoby Brissett has received 100% of the practice reps with the projected starters along the offensive line and at the skill positions. Drake Maye, meanwhile, has mixed in with the starting offensive line in the preseason, but has only played with the second unit in practice. So, until Maye starts to get a real look with the starting offense in practice, particularly the weapons, the “competition” at QB is an illusion. The use of the word is mere lip service.
Perhaps Thursday night’s preseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles is the moment the proverbial tide starts to turn. Maye finished 6-of-11 for 47 yards through the air, and rushed for the Patriots’ only touchdown of the night. Brissett, meanwhile, went 3-of-7 for 17 yards and threw a bad interception in the end zone. Maye has outperformed Brissett in red zone drills of late, so that came to fruition in the game.
MORE- Patriots Ups & Downs: Who stood out in a preseason loss to the Eagles?
Maye showed off his superior arm talent and improved footwork over the course of his 11 pass attempts. On his most impressive completion, he fired a strike to rookie receiver Javon Baker on a dig route to convert a third down. He could’ve had a spectacular connection with Baker later in the game, as he slid in the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield then launched a 55-yard dime. Baker had the ball in his hands but couldn’t complete the process.
Had Baker caught his three drops, his and Maye’s night would’ve looked much different. And even still, Maye’s pure talent glaringly outshined Brissett’s. Maye was even more decisive than Brissett, if sometimes a little quick to bail out of the pocket. The rookie looked surprisingly comfortable, after being sped up against the Eagles’ defensive starters in Tuesday’s joint practice.
The question, now … is Mayo ready to give Maye a real shot with the starters in practice?
“For me, we always talk about competition, and that’s at all spots,” Mayo said after the game Thursday night, when asked if the offensive line struggles would impede Maye’s chances to play. “So even if Drake beats out Jacoby [Brissett], I mean, he earned that role. And we don’t really take [the offensive line] into consideration when he’s ready to go, and if he’s better than Jacoby, then he’ll play; he’ll start.”
MORE: Can Drake Maye play his way into a quarterback competition?
When evaluating the quarterbacks from an individual standpoint, Maye was objectively better than Brissett. So, if Mayo is true to his word – he was with linebacker Josh Uche, who had to play well into the third quarter Thursday night after fighting in joint practice on Tuesday – he looked at the rookie and saw a better player than his incumbent starter.
And here’s the thing: if you have a talented quarterback playing fast and playing well, you suddenly start to worry a little less about the blocking. Great signal-callers can make up for subpar protection by simply making good, quick decisions and executing with accuracy. Maye is starting to flash some of that ability. Perhaps the fact that Vederian Lowe has been a disaster at left tackle won’t actually hold Maye back from his opportunity to start, especially if the rookie QB continues to play like he did Thursday night.
That being said, there was one moment that Mayo and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt could possibly latch onto as a reason to keep Maye developing in the background for the time being. As he took a snap from No. 2 center Nick Leverett, Maye appeared to lose control of the ball, as it dropped to the turf and rolled away from him. Fortunately for Maye, left guard Sidy Sow was able to fall on the fumble and keep their drive alive.
And while Mayo indicated that the offensive line wasn’t a consideration for him in his quarterback evaluation or Maye’s chances to start, he may feel differently about the competition on the other side of the field. Would Maye have looked as sharp as he did Thursday night had he been going up against the Eagles’ starters, dealing with their size and speed?
As encouraging as Maye’s performance was on the field, his postgame reaction was also the kind you’d like to hear in a potential franchise QB. He’s always focusing on what he can do better, and Thursday night was no different.
“I think there are definitely things I can clean up,” Maye said. “I had some good things, had some bad plays: dropped snaps – inexcusable from me. Other than that, sometimes I felt I was scrambling when I could sit in there, hang on, and try to make a throw. So, there are definitely a lot of things to learn from. It was good to get out there and get some tape to learn from.
“Other than that, the guys fought, played hard. You can look at a lot of things, but the one thing you can’t question is our effort and that really starts it all.”
Can’t question the effort, but can we question whether Maye should continue to be relegated to permanent backup duty? The third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Maye had his share of supporters calling for him to start from day 1, regardless, because of that pedigree. It would have been a mistake to rush Maye out there based simply on his draft status.
But he’s starting to show signs on the field, in the actual games and practices, that he may be capable of taking over the starting gig sooner rather than later. It feels too late for Week 1, but is October in play? The ball is now in Mayo’s hands, whether to give Maye an actual, honest opportunity to win the job. Not the job itself just yet. A chance.
It feels like we’re getting ever closer to a quarterback competition. Not just the word. The real thing.
