Drake Maye is without a doubt New England’s supposed quarterback of the future, but he’s not the Patriots’ starter right now.
That job continues to belong to Jacoby Brissett, who remained the No. 1 quarterback during Patriots OTA practices on Tuesday.
After Tuesday’s practice, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt was asked about New England’s quarterback room. He made it clear that Brissett remains at the top of the depth chart.
Drake Maye was the second QB today, which was a change from previous practices open to reporters.
But it’s clear who is No. 1 at the moment.
Alex Van Pelt: “Jacoby, again, is our starter. He’s playing excellent football for us in the spring.” pic.twitter.com/VG4EMcu4EB
-Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) June 4, 2024
“Jacoby, again, is our starter,” Van Pelt told reporters. “He’s playing excellent football for us in the spring. And Drake is coming. Until that changes, we’re going to stick with what we have.”
Van Pelt noted that there is “no timeline” for the team to move on to Maye, who was selected with the third pick in April’s NFL Draft. Van Pelt’s comments echoed those of executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf, who said on May 28 that Brissett was No. 1 on the depth chart.
“He’s taking his first few reps and we’re excited about what he’s shown, not just off the field but on the field with his shooting ability.
“Drake Maye, let’s be honest, we’ve had him for three weeks. There is a long way to go for all of our rookies and all of our players as we adapt to this new scheme that Coach Van Pelt is implementing offensively. “
Van Pelt: Maye’s progress is ‘impressive’
Van Pelt praised Maye on Tuesday, calling her progress “impressive.”
“He went out, took everything from the classroom, everything from our individual periods and applied it to team training,” Van Pelt said. “He’s been impressive so far. The biggest things we’re working on with him right now, obviously, calling plays in the huddle, which is new for a lot of these college guys. And then just playing rhythm and timing with his feet.”
Maye echoed Van Pelt’s training when speaking to reporters.
“It’s easy to get them and know what I’m going to do,” Maye said Tuesday about implementing calls, according to Boston.com. “But telling these guys and being in the group and waving to different guys, using my cadence. Just playing as a defender, playing in the position.
“Not so much shooting and stuff. Also, I think footwork is a big thing. We’ve discussed that. I think it’s a work in progress and I feel really good about it.”
When will Maye start?
Maye joins the Patriots after a remarkable two-season stint as North Carolina’s starter. A 6-foot-2, 200-pound athlete with a big arm and a penchant for making plays, he has all the tools of a prototypical NFL quarterback. Everything coming out of the Patriots field suggests these tools are crude.
“I think of it as a marathon rather than a sprint,” Van Pelt continued when asked about Maye’s progress. “You just don’t go out and run a marathon. You have to train properly for a marathon. The same goes for a quarterback.”
Brissett, meanwhile, is one of the league’s most experienced backups, a ninth-year veteran with 48 NFL games under his belt. There is no reason in New England to rush Maye. The Patriots have no intention of pushing him into the starting role before they believe he is ready.
In a league where the pressure to succeed now often outweighs the long-term picture, rookie quarterbacks are regularly thrust into the spotlight whether they are ready or not. With a new team under rookie head coach Jerod Mayo, the Patriots are prioritizing the long term over short-term pressure.
“There is a process” Van Pelt continued. “We follow that process, we trust it. You can’t just put a guy out there and expect him to be successful without the proper coaching. … We always talk about earning his reps around here. As he continues to grow and have practices successful ones and start accumulating them, then we can think about moving him up the depth chart.”
