Drake Maye might be ready, but the Patriots aren’t ready for the rookie quarterback to start yet. Coach Jerod Mayo said “a lot of factors led to this choice.”
Mayo didn’t say it, but the state of the Patriots’ offensive line surely played a part.
David Carr, the No. 1 pick in 2002, was ruined as a rookie when he took an unfathomable 76 sacks.
Whatever the Patriots’ reasons, Maye will get to sit back, watch and learn from starter Jacoby Brissett.
“I wouldn’t say disappointed; obviously, I want to play,” Maye said, via Khari Thompson of boston.com. “That’s the competitive edge in me. At the same time, I understand the situation. Jacoby has been in the offense and gotten the reps with ones all camp. So, I can’t say I’m disappointed, but at the same time, I want to be playing.”
Mayo said he wouldn’t get into “hypotheticals” about how long Brissett would keep the job. Maye likely gets his shot at some point this season, and it could come sooner than later.
Brissett left Sunday’s preseason finale with a shoulder injury, and although he is fine, it showed Maye he has to stay prepared.
“I’m still one play away, so just have to be ready for all circumstances and I’m here to help Jacoby and keep the vibes in the quarterback room up because nothing is going to change,” Maye said. “I’m still rooting for him and cheering for him.”
Chicago’s Caleb Williams, Washington’s Jayden Daniels and Denver’s Bo Nix will start as rookies. Maye won’t . . . for now.
“I feel like I left it all out there,” Maye said. “I have no regrets going back, and in the end that’s how it worked out. Like I said, I’m going to keep the right mindset, and I know this is the NFL. Shoot, it ain’t like anybody is just going out there and getting even second-team as a quarterback. Just be the blessed person I am and thank God for his blessings.”
The drama continues for the Bengals and receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
Once again, Chase is not practicing on Thursday, according to multiple reporters on the scene.
Chase came onto the field in street clothes as the team was going through drills early on in the session.
Things between the Bengals and Chase seemed alright earlier in the week, as head coach Zac Taylor said he was confident the receiver would play Week 1 after he’d returned to practice. But then that changed on Wednesday, as Chase was once again sitting out — just as he had throughout training camp.
It’s not unclear whether or not Chase is going to play in the season opener against the Patriots.
Taylor said before practice that he “wasn’t going to make any predictions” about whether or not Chase would be on the field, acknowledging it would likely be a similar outcome to Wednesday. But Taylor also noted that Chase has been on top of things in the building.
“He’s been in every meeting,” Taylor said. “So, he knows everything. He’s been in the system for the three years he played in it, a fourth year now. So, again, he knows everything.”
Taylor also noted that the Chase situation has not made things too much more difficult when it comes to getting ready for the season.
“In this league, every week there’s a form of adversity and you’ve got to find the positives in it,” Taylor said. “Our team has found the positives in it and is able to support a teammate, find positives for other teammates, and continue to move forward. Again, you can’t waste a day complaining about a situation. You’ve just got to make the most of it and keep it moving. And that’s what our guys have done. Again, we’re all on the same page. We’re all on board with this thing. So, just excited to get to game week.”
The Ravens unveiled a new alternate helmet this year and they announced when they will wear it for the first time on Thursday.
The purple headgear will make its debut during their Week 10 Thursday night home game against the Bengals. It will be the first time that the Ravens have worn a helmet other than their familiar black one.
“The reaction to our ‘Purple Rising’ helmet launch from both players and fans was extremely positive,” Ravens senior vice President of marketing Brad Downs said in a statement. “We can’t wait to debut it in front of a national audience and huge Baltimore crowd this November.”
It’s not the only bit of fashion news that the team shared on Thursday. They also revealed that they will wear all-black uniforms for their Week Four Sunday night game against the Bills.
The Bengals announced a couple of roster moves on Thursday morning.
Cincinnati has re-signed running back Trayveon Williams and placed defensive lineman McKinnley Jackson on injured reserve.
Williams, 26, has spent his entire career with the Bengals since he was selected in the sixth round of the 2019 draft. As a vested veteran, Cincinnati could release him on cutdown day without risk of losing him to waivers.
Williams was on the field for 64 percent of special teams snaps in 2023 and 14 percent of offensive snaps. He has 62 career carries for 307 yards and 15 catches for 74 yards.
Jackson is dealing with a knee injury. He will be eligible to practice after four weeks.
The Bengals also signed guard Dashawn Manning, running back Kendall Milton, defensive tackle Justin Rogers, and defensive end Isaiah Thomas to their practice squad.
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said that Drake Maye outplayed Jacoby Brissett in the preseason, but that wasn’t enough for the first-round pick to win the starting quarterback job in New England.
According to multiple reports, Mayo told the team at a Thursday meeting that Brissett will be the starter against the Bengals in the season opener. That’s not a great surprise given the prevailing belief all offseason that Maye’s limited experience as a starter in college and the makeup of the Patriots offensive roster would make Brissett the choice, but the last few weeks provided some reason to think the Patriots might go the other way.
They will go to Maye at some point because you don’t pick players third overall for them to remain on the bench. The timing of that move will likely be based on multiple things and the play of the team’s offensive line will likely be at the top of the list. The group struggled all summer and the Patriots won’t want to subject Maye to weekly poundings if they can avoid it, although Brissett’s shoulder injury in the preseason finale shows that won’t be the easiest balancing act.
Those are questions for the future, though. The present belongs to Brissett and we’re a little more than a week away from seeing how that will play out for the NFC East club.
