Marc Bertrand: Is Jerod Mayo fighting to start Drake Maye?

On Thursday's edition of Zolak & Bertrand, Marc "Beetle" Bertrand questioned if Jerod Mayo is fighting to start Drake Maye behind the scenes.

Pay attention to Jerod Mayo's comments as of late...

Marc Bertrand: 

Do you think Jerod Mayo is starting a campaign to get him to the place where he can just name Drake Maye the starter? It feels a little bit like that because you've been saying it yourself Zo. After the Jets game you said hey, Jerod Mayo sounds like a guy who wants to go to Drake Maye soon. Then you said he watched the tape and dialed it back a little bit and said Jacoby’s the guy. Then what I told you, and I think you kind of agreed was, it’s not like he had some over-the-top commitment to Jacoby Brissett. What did he say? He's the starter until I say he isn't. I mean, that could be dead tomorrow. He could have decided before the game against the 49ers. He could decide tomorrow that he's not the starter. So, it wasn't like this big ringing endorsement. He just said no, he's still the starter, and he will be until I say otherwise. It sounds like maybe he's the guy who was looking at it and going... we got to get this kid in there at some point and he's got to battle back against the front office guy in Elliot Wolfe, who had his plan and wants to punt on the season. The head coach is like I want to try and be the best team we can be. I'm in my first head coaching job. The number in that first column at the end of this year matters for me, not only this year and how I’m perceived by my boss, the owner, but it matters 2 years from now when we're analyzing my resume and track record to see if I deserve to still keep doing the job.  

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Welcome into this week's 98.5 The Sports Hub Patriots Mailbag! Coming off of a 24-3 loss to the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football in Week 3 in which New England looked outmatched in all three phases of the game, many fans are wondering if and where this team can find help up and down the roster. That applies in both the short and long term. This week's mailbag has roster questions ranging from this week to this upcoming offseason.

There is an important roster checkpoint coming up next week. Players who began the season on IR, PUP, NFI, etc. are eligible to return starting in Week 5. That could offer some help in the short-term.

In the long-term, we're still a ways away from the team having to make offseason decisions. However, it's good to know what names to keep an eye on leading up to that - especially when it comes to college football and the draft.

What personnel questions are facing the team in the near and not-so-near future? Let's get into it in this week's Mailbag...

Kendrick Bourne is eligible to return from PUP starting next week. That's still about a month shy of  a full year since last year's ACL tear, but Jerod Mayo sounds encouraged by his progress. "He's making great progress," Mayo said on Monday. "He's running fast. He looks good in his routes. When he's ready to be out there, he'll be out there." That certainly makes it sound like Bourne will be back sooner rather than later, even if it's not right at Week 5. 

When Bourne does return, he should become the Patriots' top receiver. He's their most experienced player at the position, and was right there with DeMario Douglas for the most explosive prior to his knee injury. The problem is, Bourne is at his best in the intermediate and deep parts of the field. He should still be able to get open there, but the Patriots' quarterbacks will need to have enough time to get it to him there - something they don't have right now behind the current offensive line. 

The Patriots will need to open up a roster spot for Kendrick Bourne when he comes back. I wouldn't entirely rule out them opening a roster spot at another position if they have an opportunity (ex. player going on IR) but Kayshon Boutte is most likely the odd man out at wide receiver. Stylistically he's very similar to Bourne, and as things stand right now he's not getting snaps to begin with. If the Patriots do cut him, he'd be a candidate to return on the practice squad. 

As for Javon Baker, he'll need to prove in practice the team should give him more time on the field. If he can do that he could put pressure on Tyquan Thornton, who hasn't produced explosive plays at the 'X' position to this point. 

When it comes to Mike Onwenu the concern level relates to where he's playing. Through three games it looks clear he's at his best when he's at guard, with the drop-off to the tackle position steeper than it's been in past years. Assuming the team can get him back inside to guard (more on that in a bit) I'd expect him to rebound. If he ends up staying at tackle, then there's legitimate concern. 

As for David Andrews, he had a rough game against All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams but wasn't bad in the other two games. He's definitely showing his age a bit, but not to the point where he's at risk of becoming a liability. 

Good question Matt. Short-term, the Patriots may have enough information at this point to get to their 'best five.' A reminder, the 'best five' doesn't mean a group that is necessarily going to excel, but is simply going to put out the best performance of the players available on the roster. Through three games a potential 'best five' has emerged almost by default. These five players haven't played together yet, but all look to be the best options at their respective positions...

LT: Vederian Lowe
LG: Michael Jordan (Sidy Sow when healthy)
C: David Andrews
RG: Mike Onwenu
RT: Caedan Wallace

For one thing, in that setup nobody is playing out of position. Everybody is in a spot to maximize their skillsets. It also gives the Patriots good power up the middle, which will help for a team that should and will run the ball at a high rate. 

That's a line that should be able to get them through this season. Long-term, the left tackle position needs to be addressed after years of temporary measures. That should be where the Patriots look at the top of the draft.

Right tackle is TBD. If Wallace shows promise this year, it would make sense to keep him in the spot in 2025. If not, the Patriots will need another tackle. 

Then there's center. David Andrews is 32 years old. He just signed a contract extension so he may plan on coming back next year, but it wouldn't be a bad idea for the Patriots to start looking ahead for his replacement, potentially drafting a center in the middle rounds this year to start developing him behind the scenes. 

I've seen this question a lot with Patriots fans, but it really comes down to availability. Starting caliber tackles - especially left tackles - rarely become available in the modern NFL with such a shortage at the position around the league. Meanwhile, multiple start receivers have become available each of the last few offseason - even if some didn't end up ultimately moving. 

Meanwhile, this upcoming draft projects to have multiple potential franchise left tackles. It makes much more sense to make one of those players (namely Will Campbell from LSU or Kelvin Banks from Texas) the target and find a veteran wide receiver via free agency or (more likely) a trade. 

Right now (and it's still very early) the Patriots' big three needs for next offseason are shaping up to be - in order - left tackle, wide receiver, and edge rusher. After that boundary cornerback, center, tight end, and running back are other positions we'll likely be talking about a good amount in the spring. 

It was always going to take more than one offseason to get this Patriots' roster where it needs to be. I don't think Eliot Wolf faces serious questions about his job during this season (although criticisms about the 2024 offseason plan, in particular the plan for the offensive line, are fair) unless Drake Maye ends up playing and looking like a complete disaster. To me, the real evaluation comes in the spring. If it's another offseason without a major commitment to upgrading the offensive line - this time without a quarterback need in the way - then the heat should really get turned up.