Drake Maye Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots have indicated publicly that rookie quarterback Drake Maye had a long way to go before he was ready to be the team’s starting quarterback, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t happy with his progress.

During an appearance on NBC Sports Boston’s Early Edition on Thursday night, NFL insider Albert Breer of SI.com indicated that Drake Maye is showing real progress during his first few practices with the team.

“I’ve heard it’s been going great,” Breer said of his development so far, according to Yahoo Sports. “Like honestly, and that’s from multiple people today — people that have been there every day. They say the progress has been incremental. Now that doesn’t mean he’s making these huge leaps, but day over day they’re seeing really good progress.”

And it sounds like the Patriots like what they see.

“What they are seeing right now is a kid who does not panic, who isn’t forcing the ball when the picture gets jumbled on him, because that’s what’s going to happen with all young quarterbacks,” Breer said of Maye. “It doesn’t mean he’s ready to start, but what they’re seeing is a kid who is learning and who is applying what he’s learning on to the field, which is the first step to becoming a better quarterback.”

It’s not clear when Maye will be ready to start for the Patriots, but it sounds like he’s making progress.

[Yahoo Sports]