The New England Patriots are clearly moving forward as if veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett will be the team’s starting quarterback, but it sounds like the team is still willing to give some first-team reps to rookie quarterback Drake Maye this preseason.
During a recent press conference, Jerod Mayo announced that Drake Maye will get reps with the first-team offense.
“[I]t’s the second week of training camp,” Mayo said in his Thursday press conference according to Pro Football Talk. “We have a game here a week from now. He’ll have an opportunity to go out there and participate with, if you want to call them ‘The Ones,’ but we mix and match.”
While Maye has reportedly struggled with consistency, Mayo said he likes what he has seen from the young quarterback.
“I would say all the rookies are battling through things,” Mayo said. “It’s a different scheme. It’s a different state. There’s just so much change for these guys. But what you want to see as those guys go through adversity, you want to see them handle it the right way. You don’t want to see the explosions on the sideline. You don’t want to see any of that. It’s all about the next page and turning the page, and that’s what I appreciate.
“I got this feeling when we met with Drake in Carolina,” Mayo added. “Just his overall mental toughness and competitiveness, and he understands that it’s not always going to be clean. I will say this, he’s handled it very well. I know that the players really enjoy working with him, and he’s a competitor.”
It seems like Brissett will get the starting nod, but Maye is going to get a chance to develop.
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