Jacoby Brissett seemed like a natural fit for the New England Patriots when the team signed him to a one-year contract this offseason. Through just over a week of training camp, he's proving why.
In addition to looking sharp in practices at Gillette Stadium, the veteran quarterback has embraced a leadership role on a young Patriots team that includes two rookie QBs -- Drake Maye and Joe Milton -- and several first- or second-year players on offense.
Brissett is particularly qualified for that role considering he spent the 2022 season with new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt on the Browns when Van Pelt was Cleveland's OC. And according to second-year wide receiver DeMario Douglas, Brissett has been instrumental in helping his teammates pick up Van Pelt's offense.
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"Leadership," Douglas told reporters Saturday when asked what Brissett has brought to the team, as seen in the video player above. "He's been in the game for a minute and he knows -- he played under Tom (Brady), so he's got great knowledge of the game, and he's teaching it to us."
Douglas revealed he's been sitting next to Brissett during team meetings, and that the nine-year veteran has taken it upon himself to make sure the 23-year-old wideout is on the same page.
"I sit next to him in the meeting rooms, and he'll be like, 'You see this? You see this?'" Douglas added of Brissett. "So as we break it down, it gets easier on the field."
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While all eyes are on Maye as the No. 3 overall pick, Brissett has taken reps as the starting QB throughout camp and likely will begin the season as QB1 unless Maye makes major strides during the preseason. That's thanks in part to Brissett's wealth of experience -- he's played in 79 NFL games and made 48 starts over eight seasons since the Patriots drafted him in 2016 -- but also his knowledge of the current offense and his ability to communicate that to his teammates.
"He's been great, man," Patriots tight end Hunter Henry said Saturday. "On and off the field he's been fantastic.
"He's been fun to work with. He's been around; he's been in a lot of different offenses, he's been in this offense, so he's helping me a lot just to see things in this offense, how he sees things, maybe how I see things with different routes. So, the communication has been great."
Brissett probably isn't among the NFL's 15 or 20 best quarterbacks, and New England may not win many games this season regardless of who's under center. But for a team with its eye on the future, the 31-year-old is a valuable resource to have in Foxboro.