Drake Maye reportedly ‘a ways away’ from starting for the Patriots
When will Drake Maye make his first NFL start? It could be later rather than sooner, according to a new report.
After Drake Maye made his NFL debut in last week’s loss to the New York Jets, the conversation around Maye taking over as the New England Patriots’ starting quarterback has heated up. Prior to this Sunday’s slate of games though, one NFL insider turned down the temperature on the idea of Maye taking over soon.
“When is Drake Maye going to play for the Patriots? Not today, barring injury,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport shared Sunday morning. “My understanding is he’s still a ways away from being on the field. The Patriots have not started the ramp up process, he is still getting about 30% of the snaps in practice. Looks to me, it is still Jacoby Brissett going forward for New England.”
This comes after Patriots coaches – including head coach Jerod Mayo and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt – spoke highly of Maye’s performance in practice this week. It was reported a few weeks ago Maye, the third overall pick in this past NFL Draft, has been taking 30 percent of the first-team reps in practice (most backup quarterbacks generally get between five and 10 percent), as well as running the Patriots’ scout team.
It’s still unclear what the Patriots’ benchmark is for Maye taking over as the starter. It could be a simple as comfort with the offense, and/or the state of the offensive line – current starter Jacoby Brissett has faced more pressure through three games than any quarterback in the NFL, seeing a 47.6 percent pressure rate via Next Gen Stats.
In his debut last week, Maye got one drive and completed four of his eight pass attempts for 22 yards. He also added two carries for 12 yards on the ground.
Brissett is completing 60.9 percent of his pass attempts over the first three weeks, throwing for 368 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. He’s been sacked nine times.
