The New England Patriots gave Drake Maye his first taste of NFL action late in Thursday's blowout loss to the New York Jets.
It sounds like Maye should get more opportunities going forward -- and not just in mop-up duty.
According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, the Patriots plan to start Maye at some point during the 2024 season and are devoting time and resources to prepare him for that moment.
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"What I've heard over the last week or so is, the expectation is that he will play this year. And I think this is part of the ramping-up process," Breer said on NBC Sports Boston's Sports Sunday, as seen in the video player above. "I don't think they've put a timeline on him yet, but I think it's going to come down to being able to support him properly -- which they didn't show they could do on Thursday night -- and then him continuing the little steps forward that he's made over the last few weeks in practice."
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As our Phil Perry reported earlier this month, the Patriots have been giving Maye extra reps in practice and letting him occasionally work with the starters. Head coach Jerod Mayo recently confirmed that Maye has been getting about 30 percent of QB reps in practice, a highly unusual occurrence for a clear backup.
Breer provided more context Sunday on what types of reps Maye is getting.
"One thing that they're doing in practice, because they have Jacoby Brissett here who played for (offensive coordinator) Alex Van Pelt (in Cleveland), when there's the first offense out there and it's a concept that Jacoby is comfortable with, they put Drake in there. That's where the 30 percent number comes from," Breer said.
"They're giving him time to decide with TC McCartney, the quarterbacks coach. They're doing what they can to try to get him ready to play. My expectation is that he will play this year."
The biggest argument against playing Maye is the awful play of the offensive line, which has allowed 11 sacks and a whopping 30 quarterback hits through three games. The Patriots likely don't want to subject their rookie QB to constant pressure right out of the gate, especially after watching Mac Jones' downfall last season.
If New England's protection issues don't improve, however, it's possible Brissett suffers an injury that forces Maye into a starting role anyway. Either way, it sounds like the Patriots want Maye on the field at some point this season, which is why they should prioritize improving their offensive line play ahead of their Week 4 matchup with the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers.
"Maye’s progress has gotten to the point where the expectation is he’ll earn his way on to the field relatively soon," Breer wrote Monday morning in a column for Sports Illustrated.
Watch the YouTube video below to hear more from Breer, The Boston Globe's Chris Gasper and Sports Sunday host Michael Felger on Drake Maye.