Drake Maye Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Rookie quarterback Drake Maye has been competing with veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett for the team’s starting quarterback role this offseason. And it sounds like he’s made some pretty significant strides that have impressed his head coach.

During a recent press conference, New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo opened up about a major change that he has seen in Drake Maye since he arrived with the team earlier this year.

“I think early on he was trying to defer and just be a good teammate,” Mayo told Scott Zolak during a Sunday night pregame appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub according to Mike Reiss of ESPN. “Now, he’s competing to be the starting quarterback; he’s really kind of ramped up his preparation and production on the field.”

But just because he has shown that sort of improvement during practice does not mean that the team is going to rush to put him into the lineup prematurely.

“We’re going to stick to the [development] plan — it may not be a popular plan, but we’re doing what we think is right for the organization, not only in the near term but also in the long term,” Mayo said.

In any case, it sounds like the team has liked what it has seen from Maye.

[ESPN]