It's a matter of when, not if, Drake Maye becomes the New England Patriots' starting quarterback this season.
That's what Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reiterated Sunday morning on NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Pregame Live, adding that the rookie quarterback continues to make strides behind the scenes. According to Breer, Maye has specifically developed one skill that he'll need if he takes over as QB1 ahead of current starter Jacoby Brissett.
"His progress has been steady in all the areas we've talked about: footwork, understanding what he's looking at with defenses," Breer said Sunday, as seen in the video player above. "And really what he's made strides in over the last couple weeks is in blitz situations. This is gonna be huge, because that's a big part of what the Patriots are getting thrown at them right now with their offensive line issue."
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The Patriots have allowed QB pressures on 47.4 percent of offensive snaps this season, the highest rate in the NFL. The inconsistent play of their banged-up offensive line is one reason why New England doesn't want to rush Maye into action.
But as Breer pointed out, Maye's progress is becoming hard to ignore.
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"I'm told he is closing in now on being the best quarterback on the team," Breer said. "So, what does this mean going forward? Well, players can tell and see the drumbeat for where this is going.
"I think what this is gonna come down to is, when he does wind up passing Jacoby Brissett and other people can see that he's the best quarterback on the team, is the team ready to support him? I still think Drake Maye becoming the starter at some point in November is very much on the table."
Patriots Insider Phil Perry reported this week that Patriots coaches are "aligned" on a plan for Maye, and that the organization has a "window of time" where it envisions Maye taking the field. On Patriots Pregame Live, Perry noted that window may open very soon -- not this week against the Miami Dolphins or next week versus the Houston Texans, but possibly not much longer after that.
There isn't much reason for optimism right now on a 1-3 Patriots team that's lost three games in a row. Getting Maye onto the field would change that, as the No. 3 overall pick could provide serious hope for the future if he can hold his own. So, it's an encouraging sign that Maye continues to improve and appears to be close to being game-ready.
"That little piece of progress dealing with the blitz in practice has been a big area of progress the last couple of weeks, and certainly an area they need him to be good in if they're going to put him out on the field based on what they have in front of him," Breer added.
Check out the video player above for more from Breer on Maye.