Can Drake Maye Lift The Talent Around Him?

By Steve Atkinson 

Drake Maye had reliable wide receivers last year in Kayshon Boutte and Stefon Diggs, plus an easy schedule. Now, with both gone and AJ Brown out for six weeks, will Romeo Dobbs be a factor and step up? Will Drake Maye be able to make the talent around him better?  The great quarterbacks usually do. Tom Brady, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, etc. Unfortunately, it’ll be on Maye to make the talent around him better, even though Dobbs may not be a fit in New England if he’s as useless as he was in week one.

With AJ Brown out, Drake Maye will have to get Dobbs the ball more, and Dobbs will have to figure it out. We’ve seen wide receivers from different offenses not fit here, and others come here and it’s fine, like last year with Stefon Diggs. Mike Vrabel is confident in the response his team has shown since the loss.

 I would say that practice is going to be critical, but obviously our performance and everybody’s performances on Sunday is going to be what matters the most. So, we felt like we had good energy and we got off to a good start, and we will have to just continue to build here throughout the week.

Drake Maye said at his press conference

“The job of the quarterback is to elevate the guys around you.”

Drake Maye Is Going To Have To Elevate The Talent

Alright, so let’s see it then. They don’t have many options, but they did this to themselves. They could’ve easily kept Boutte in case Brown got hurt, but because he was more expensive than Kyle Williams, they traded him. Kyle Williams didn’t even take an offensive snap last week. All Williams did was return kicks, big deal. Now, hopefully they get Henderson back in the run game, but as far as the passing game, Dobbs will have to get it, or it’ll be a long, long season.

He dropped a pass,” Vrabel told media members, via Patriots Wire’s Sophie Weller. “Everybody drops a pass, everybody misses a tackle… did a lot of great things during camp, just like everybody did. So I know he’s excited to get back out there.”

Vrabel doesn’t seem worried about Dobbs getting it, and he just had a bad game. We’ll see: will Drake Maye elevate Mack Hollins and possibly be the new Boutte? Demario Douglas maybe some slants that don’t get thrown in double coverage and turn into interceptions? Josh McDaniels ‘ screen passes, maybe? Something has to work out on Sunday in the home opener against the Aaron Rodgers Steelers.