Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots could look to a familiar face to further their prized young quarterback Drake Maye's development.
Josh McDaniels has emerged as a frontrunner to join Vrabel's staff as offensive coordinator. If hired for the position, it would mark his third stint with the organization. The 48-year-old was on the Patriots' coaching staff for all six of their Super Bowl titles during their dynastic 20-year run.
McDaniels would have his work cut out for him running a Pats offense that has averaged the third-fewest and second-fewest points per game in the last two seasons, respectively. Maximizing Maye's talents, of course, would be his No. 1 priority.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
🔊 Patriots Talk Podcast: EXCLUSIVE: Mike Vrabel on how he'll stop Patriots blame game: 'Blame me' | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
During the 2024 NFL preseason, McDaniels spoke about the 22-year-old QB's abilities on former Pats wide receiver Julian Edelman's "Games With Names" podcast. His comments should pique the interest of those clamoring for Maye to be used more in the run game.
"I didn't get to see a ton of him in the spring, but he's obviously got great size, really athletic," McDaniels told Edelman. "I don't know where he'll fit in the whole like -- the style he'll play with. I'm interested to see how that develops. Like, is he gonna be a little bit of a runner like Josh Allen was in Buffalo? I don't think he's quite as big as Josh is, but guys like that that have those kinds of attributes, you can use them to run the football too.
"I don't think we've seen all that yet in the preseason, but I'm interested to see when he plays if he becomes a little bit more of a dual-threat guy or if he's just a pocket passer and a big, tall, strong guy in the pocket. But the games I've seen, he's done a good job in."
MORE PATRIOTS
Indeed, Maye continued to draw Josh Allen comparisons with his size and dual-threat ability. The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder racked up 421 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 54 carries over 13 games played (12 starts). Those impressive numbers came despite the Jerod Mayo-led Patriots' refusal to draw up designed runs for Maye for most of the campaign.
Judging by McDaniels' first impressions of Maye, we should expect more designed runs for the former North Carolina standout if McDaniels joins Vrabel's staff. Maye made it clear he was on board with being utilized in the run game after the Patriots finally let him loose in their Week 16 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Given how the third-overall pick handled his rookie season, he should get the green light to make plays with both his arm and his legs in Year 2.
A McDaniels-Patriots reunion became even more likely on Tuesday. Tommy Rees, another rumored candidate for the Pats' offensive coordinator position, was removed from Vrabel's list after reportedly earning the Cleveland Browns' OC job.