On Thursday night, New England Patriots fans were treated to their first glimpse of 2024 first-round pick Drake Maye in action against the Carolina Panthers in the team's first preseason contest. It was very, very brief.
After the first-team offense took the field for one possession with presumed starter Jacoby Brissett under center, Maye came in for the second offensive series. He threw three passes— a check-down, a screen, and an incompletion on a crosser over the middle. The offense earned one first down before punting. Maye was then yanked and the rest of the game was quarterbacked by Bailey Zappe and sixth-round rookie Joe Milton III, who are battling for the third spot on the depth chart.
This was a matter of much frustration to those in attendance at Gillette Stadium, and was a bit confusing for even a neutral audience given Maye is widely seen as a project in need of experience before he can lead an NFL offense. Jerod Mayo, fresh off his first NFL preseason game as head coach, explained to reporters that it was "always the plan" to give Maye the shortest of stints.
"That was always the plan," Mayo said. "The plan was to get him in there for one series, to get Jacoby in there for one series, and then turn it into the Zappe show and the Joe show. That was the plan going in."
"This is the first preseason game," he continued. "We still have two left. He'll have plenty of opportunities to go against the two other teams before the regular season."
Jerod Mayo on QB setup for the preseason opener Thursday night: "That was always the plan."
— Nick Coit (@NCoitABC6) August 9, 2024
Mayo speaks on using both Jacoby Brissett & Drake Maye for one series before handing the night over to Bailey Zappe & Joe Milton III. @ABC6 #Patriots pic.twitter.com/1gEBTz26ld
When asked if the team wanted to avoid putting Maye behind the second-string offensive line, Mayo acknowledged that protecting the young quarterback was part of the thought process as well.
While the exchange is perhaps lacking in the kind of concrete answers fans might prefer, it does shine a light on the Pats' biggest issue entering the season and the risk of preseason games in general: poor offensive line play. New England has two established linemen in guard Michael Onwenu and center David Andrews. Otherwise it's a bunch of question marks. And pass protection is generally quite poor in preseason.
So you can see why the Patriots were hesitant to throw Maye into the deep end. He's got a tremendous arm but needs reps to improve on other aspects of quarterbacking, like footwork. However, there is also a balance to be struck between getting him those reps while still putting him in a position to succeed. A balance difficult to find in the roster's first dose of full contact with another team on a rainy night in Foxborough.
It sounds like Maye will get his reps one way or the other. They just weren't going to come at the earliest possible opportunity.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jerod Mayo Explains Drake Maye's Limited Snaps in Patriots' First Preseason Game .
