The New England Patriots have been somewhat surprising through two weeks of the NFL season, but in terms of the offense, the passing game is still underachieving. If you turn on the film, it is not because of a lack of separation from the receivers, but more of an issue with Jacoby Brissett getting them the ball. Both Ja’Lynn Polk, and DeMario Douglas, are open more often than not and continuously have the ability to make plays, but Brissett continues to miss them. After the loss to the Seahawks on Sunday and Brissett struggling to push the ball downfield, will Jerod Mayo panic and put rookie Drake Maye in before he’s ready?
Drake Maye has elite athleticism and arm talent, but if the Patriots put him out there before he’s ready, all the talent in the world won’t matter. If he struggles and they end up benching him, it could be catastrophic for his development. The question New England needs to ask themselves is, are you willing to risk your franchise quarterback’s development for a boost in the passing game this year? Or is there a better way to go about getting Maye on the field? Maybe the Patriots have already determined when Maye is going to start, and perhaps Maye is ready to start now. But with the offensive line issues New England has, they need to be very careful putting a rookie quarterback in when they can’t protect him.
In a perfect world, the Patriots would put Maye in, and he would elevate the entire offense around him, by making plays with his legs and pushing the ball downfield to open receivers. However, with the struggles we are seeing from other rookie quarterbacks like Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, keeping Maye on the bench to develop might be the right thing to do. Many Patriots fans are hoping that Maye is ready to go, but New England doesn’t want to put their franchise quarterback behind an offensive line that can’t protect him.
Mayo will do what is best for the Patriots future
There is no reason to believe Mayo will panic and put Drake Maye out there before he is ready. He has stated multiple times that the Patriots are in a rebuild and has asked fans to be patient. This most likely means he is in no rush to throw Maye to the wolves and put him behind a poor offensive line. For some fans, this is good news, because they want Maye to develop for the future and aren’t worried about this season. It may be difficult to watch Brissett struggle to pass the ball in 2024 when there is a third-overall pick sitting on the bench, but it is the right thing to do for the future of the franchise.
