Drake Maye looks promising.
It’s easy to see the talent. The No. 3 overall pick dazzled in the Patriots preseason finale on Sunday night. He made the Washington Commanders pay using his legs and athleticism as well as his rocket arm.
He gives Patriots fans a reason for optimism. Good things happen when Maye is on the field. You can argue that the rookie is the best quarterback on the Patriots roster – and this preseason, he outperformed veteran Jacoby Brissett.
As fun as it is to picture Maye starting under center for the Patriots, it’s also crystal clear that this 2024 Patriots team isn’t ready to support a rookie quarterback.
That was evident on Sunday night inside Commanders Field in Landover, Maryland.
The Patriots shouldn’t start Maye. It’s not about his youth (he’ll turn 22 on Friday). It’s not about his skillset (he’s not as raw as draft pundits made it seem). This is about self-preservation when it comes to a future franchise quarterback.
This is about protecting your asset – because, on Sunday night, the Patriots offensive line was abysmal. They were penalty-plagued, mistake-ridden, and so horrible that there should be no way on earth, Jerod Mayo feels comfortable putting behind this patchwork line.
It looked that bad.
The team started Michael Onwenu (right tackle), Layden Robinson (right guard), Nick Leverett (center), Sidy Sow (left guard), and Chuks Okorafor (left tackle). On paper (other than David Andrews getting the night off), that line looked promising. Instead, it was a disaster.
In the first drive, the group allowed a crushing sack which led to Brissett suffering a right shoulder injury. That occurred when Sow and Robinson ran into each other allowing a 6-foot-4, 255-pound defensive end (K.J. Henry) to smash into Brissett untouched.
Somehow, the offensive line got worse after that. Over the next five drives, we saw two bad snaps, a false start, three holding penalties, four illegal formation penalties (one negated a touchdown) and someone even dislodged a quarterback’s shoe.
It was a clown show.
In Maye’s first rep, Leverett snapped the ball too low, leading to a fumble and a loss of eight yards. The rookie got the Patriots back on track as he scrambled for 17 yards on third-and-14. Two plays later, Maye hit Ja’Lynn Polk for a 29-yard pass play. Of course, after that, Leverett had another bad snap two plays later. Still, Maye persevered, hit DeMario Douglas for 16 yards on third down, and then connected with Kevin Harris for an 18-yard touchdown.
Over the next three series, the offensive line looked completely incompetent. On Maye’s second drive, Sow stepped on his left foot and the quarterback’s shoe came off. Still, the quarterback threw a 14-yard pass to JaMychal Hasty. That drive saw two penalties from the offensive line (Robinson with a false start and Okorafor with an illegal formation).
In the following two drives, the offensive line committed four more penalties two illegal formations (Okorafor and Onwenu), and two holds (Robinson and Sow).
In Maye’s last series, we saw it all. The quarterback’s promising potential was on display for all to see – as was the Patriots dysfunction.
Maye connected with Javon Baker with a nice 16-yard pass play. On the next snap, he hit Polk for a gain of 13. That play, however, didn’t count due to a holding penalty by Michael Jordan, who replaced Sow at left guard.
Two plays later, with 36 seconds left in the half, Maye was flushed out of the pocket, rolled to his left, and hit K.J. Osborn for a 48-yard touchdown. That score was negated due to Okorafor’s third illegal formation penalty of the night.
Maye finished the night 13/20 for 126 yards and a touchdown.
This preseason, the rookie completed 21-of-34 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 32 yards to go with a rushing touchdown. This preseason, Brissett completed 5-of-14 passes for 36 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.
In the end, that shouldn’t matter. This 2024 NFL season isn’t about the Patriots winning a Super Bowl or making a playoff run. This is about drafting and developing. The franchise is in the beginning stages of a rebuild.
After one draft, it looks like they might have a franchise quarterback (or at least one with a high ceiling). The Patriots need to do everything in their power to help Maye realize his potential.
The worst thing that could happen is Maye plays early, gets beaten up, and regresses. Over the last three years, we witnessed the regression of a first-round quarterback in Mac Jones.
Although Bill Belichick’s coaching decisions (Matt Patricia and Joe Judge) and roster moves (JuJu Smith-Schuster over Jakobi Meyers) stunted Jones’ development, the Patriots offensive line was also a big culprit. The Patriots allowed 41 sacks in 2022 and 43 sacks in 2023.
Those sack totals were the most allowed in New England since 2008 (48 sacks).
Before the Patriots start Maye, they need to fix their offensive line. That’s the top priority. For the sake of their franchise, they should sit the rookie and start the veteran this season.
There’s no need to overthink this – especially after what we witnessed on Sunday night.
