Drake Maye takes another step towards returning from NFL Concussion Protocol
At New England Patriots practice on Thursday, quarterback Drake Maye seemed to take a step forwards towards returning from the NFL’s Concussion Protocol.
As the New England Patriots get closer to their Week 9 matchup with the Tennessee Titans this Sunday, the status of quarterback Drake Maye remains up in the air. Maye is currently in the NFL Concussion Protocol, but seemed to take another step towards getting cleared on Thursday.
On Wednesday Maye did participate in practice, but was limited to just 30 minutes on the field according to head coach Jerod Mayo. That indicates Maye was in Phase 3 of the concussion protocol at the time. Teams can choose any 30-minute window to put the player on the field, and Maye was not spotted during the portion of practice open to the media.
Thursday though, Maye was present at the start of practice for media availability. He was going through a normal warmup, throwing with the other two quarterbacks.
At the very least, this is a sign Maye didn’t have a setback after moving into Phase 3 on Wednesday. But does it mean he’s progressed to Phase 4? That’s possible. The team could have chosen the media availability period for the 30-minute window, although that would mean Maye wouldn’t be as involved or involved at all in the game preparation period.
Otherwise Maye’s presence early in practice means he’s moved to Phase 4, which is a full non-contact practice. To clear Phase 4 he’d have to show no return and/or increase in symptoms following practice, which would allow him to move to Phase 5. Phase 5 is a full practice with the same benchmarks, after which a player is cleared of protocol.
If Maye did in fact move to Phase 4 on Thursday that means he could be in Phase 5 on Friday and be cleared by Sunday’s game. Then, it would be a matter of the team decided whether or not Maye is prepared enough to play.
One thing Maye should have going for him is that for quarterbacks, Phase 4 allows them to go through a normal practice since all quarterbacks are non-contact anyway. That would mean – assuming he was in Phase 4 on Thursday – he had two ‘full’ days of practice this week, plus the 30 minutes on Wednesday.
The next update on Maye will come later on Thursday, with the team’s second injury report of the week. Mayo will then speak with the media Friday morning before the team’s final practice of the week.
