The New England Patriots' awful offensive line play has put them in a bit of a pickle.
Starter Jacoby Brissett has taken nine sacks and 25 quarterback hits through three games, while prized rookie Drake Maye was sacked twice and hit five times on a single drive in garbage time of the Patriots' Week 3 loss to the New York Jets. New England quarterbacks have been pressured on 44.8 percent of their dropbacks this season, the second-highest rate in the NFL.
That's not exactly an ideal situation for a rookie QB like Maye, whom the Patriots plan to start at some point this season but could be in danger of going the route of Mac Jones or Bryce Young if he doesn't have enough protection.
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Given the state of their offensive line, should the Patriots feel comfortable enough giving Maye extended playing time if Brissett were to get injured? Or should they pick up a veteran QB in free agency if Brissett goes down to avoid thrusting Maye into a rough offensive situation?
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer made the case for New England exploring the latter route on NBC Sports Boston's Sports Sunday.
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"If they've prioritized Drake Maye's development over almost anything else over the last four or five months, I think leaving something like when you're actually going to put him in a real game to chance is playing Russian roulette. Like, you do not want to do that," Breer said, as seen in the video player above.
"So if I were the Patriots, I would have spent the weekend looking at veteran quarterbacks and bringing somebody in and at least putting them on the practice squad."
The list of QBs currently available in free agency is very short, but the most notable name is Ryan Tannehill, an 11-year veteran who made a Pro Bowl in 2019 and started eight games for the Tennessee Titans last season. (Other options include Blaine Gabbert, AJ McCarron, Trevor Siemian and Ben DiNucci.)
With Maye and fellow rookie Joe Milton as the only other QBs on the Patriots' roster behind Brissett, Breer believes the team should at least add one of those veterans to its practice squad as a known entity who could play if Brissett goes down and Maye isn't quite ready to start.
"I would go get a veteran backup to bring in just in case an injury happens and you're not at the point where you're comfortable putting Drake Maye in there for a full game yet," Breer added.
The Patriots could get a pair of offensive linemen back from injury in the near future, and in an ideal world, they'd improve in that area enough to feel confident starting Maye without running the risk of hindering his development. But if protection issues persist and they want to play it safe with their rookie QB, perhaps they should consider adding another veteran to the roster as insurance.