Patriots
Monday’s OTAs were the first time all four New England quarterbacks took the practice field together.
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye performs drills during an NFL football practice Monday, May 20, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
The Patriots kicked off phase three of their offseason program Monday as players invaded the backfields of Gillette Stadium for the first of ten organized team activities (OTAs).
The training sessions, which prohibit live contact, mainly consist of 7v7, 9v7 and 11v11 drills. And even though the voluntary training was well attended by recruits and former players, all eyes were focused on New England’s quarterbacks.
Monday marked the first time all four signal-callers — veteran Jacoby Brissett, first-round pick Drake Maye, sixth-round pick Joe Milton III and third-year backup Bailey Zappe — took the field together. It also started the countdown on the inevitable workforce reductions to come.
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, first-year head coach Jerod Mayo intends to start whittling down the quarterback roster when training camp rolls around in August. But until then, he said it’s a fair fight.
“Once we get to training camp, it’s real football,” Mayo said. “So here in the spring we’ll play four (quarterbacks). But as soon as we get to training camp, we have to start downsizing.
The first day of OTAs was also the perfect opportunity to assess Maye’s progress throughout the first two phases of the offseason. Here’s what analysts had to say about the rookie QB’s performance.
Third in line
Even though Maye’s arrival in New England was highly anticipated, the rookie QB still has to earn his stripes. The former Tar Heel threw the third line behind Brissett and Zappe, with Milton bringing up the rear.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss described the pecking order as a “march before throwing type deal,” with Maye taking just three reps in the opening 11-on-11 drill Monday.
Later in practice, Van Pelt and quarterbacks coach Ben McAdoo divided the quarterbacks into two groups. Maye and Brissett teamed up for offensive reps, with the veteran helping the rookie with routes to the sideline.
“Drake Maye would watch Jacoby Brissett run a drill, then he would come in and do the same play himself,” Reiss said. “So they set him up where he can watch Jacoby Brissett and then execute what he just saw.”
“If you didn’t know that Drake Maye had a footwork problem and showed up at practice today, you probably wouldn’t have said, unless you were an expert in Quarterback footwork, ‘Wow, this guy doesn’t know where to go.’ stand,’” Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston said Monday night on his “Patriots Talk Podcast.”
The 21-year-old’s footwork was a major talking point even before he was drafted by New England. According to his former UNC football coach, Mack Brown, footwork was one of Maye’s goals heading into the 2023 season. Bouncing on his feet and moving away from throws contributed to sloppy pocket play, but Curran believes he is already making great progress.
“They were doing drills and dropping drills and footwork for 20 minutes and he tripped,” Curran said. “It’s not the disaster we think it is.”
Between the shots
Maye has a lot to learn this offseason — NFL defenses, Van Pelt’s playbook, his new receivers — and he seems to be vigilant in making sure he’s up to speed. Between Monday’s drills, Maye spoke frequently with McAdoo, Van Pelt and Mayo.
“When you’re physically talented like him and he’s someone who clearly cares about getting better, that’s a good recipe,” NBC Sports Boston’s Phil A. Perry told Curran on his podcast.
Last to leave
Maye and his two rookie receivers – Javon Baker and Ja’Lynn Polk – were the last to leave the practice field Monday afternoon. The hopeful future of the Patriots offense spent more time running routes independently.
“You can already tell he’s going to put in that extra work,” Mayo said. “I walk past the quarterback’s meeting room, he’s there by himself watching film. These are the things you want to see.
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