Why Did Drake Maye Play One Series Against The Panthers?

By Steve Atkinson 

The rainy preseason opener on Thursday night was meant to be our first look at third-overall pick Drake Maye. The plan was for Brissett to start and Drake Maye to get some significant playing time in his first NFL game. However, it didn’t go as planned. Maye only played one series with the top offensive line, while Bailey Zappe, who was heavily booed, played more snaps with the backup offensive line. It’s concerning that the coaches may not trust the backup offensive line, based on last night’s game.

Eliot Wolf Takes a Packer Approach When It Comes To Drake Maye

Understandably, the Patriots want to protect Maye, but he needs more reps in a game situation to gauge his performance. It’s reminiscent of the Packers’ approach, as Eliot Wolf mentioned they would be doing things the Packers Way. However, the Packers had an established veteran quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, whereas the Patriots have Jacoby Brissett, who knows the offense but isn’t an Aaron Rodgers. Here is Eliot Wolf at the scouting combine back in February

The front office I worked with in Green Bay was phenomenal,” Wolf said. “When I look back at those times and the amount of guys that have gone on to great success in this league, and Ted was at the forefront of that. Ted was so humble and so introspective, and just taking a lot of things from him will help me as I move forward in my career.

Drake Maye Should’ve Gotten More Reps With The Backup Offensive Line

Maye should have had reps even with the backup offensive line. It’s hard to justify why Drake only played one series, especially when the most familiar quarterback shouldn’t have been around him. There’s no excuse why Drake didn’t play more than one series, other than the coaches not trusting the offensive line, as Jerod Mayo commented after the game.

“If he’s in there, you want him in there with the starting offensive line. We’ve got to protect the guy. Not saying we don’t have to protect the other guys, but absolutely they’re going to.”

The keyword here is “protect.” It seems like they want to avoid putting Drake in harm’s way, which again goes back to the idea that they might not be giving him enough opportunities to protect him. While they did acquire some offensive receivers, it appears they may not have done enough to protect the quarterback if they don’t want Maye playing with the backup offensive line.

They already have enough film on Zappe, and even Mayo mentioned they needed a spark, which is why they put Milton in. Milton demonstrated composure and mobility.

According to Jerod Mayo, the offensive line is still being developed, which is why Maye isn’t playing. They want to protect him from getting hurt or losing confidence. It’s not ideal, but I suppose it makes sense if he’s part of their long-term plans.

Overall, the preseason opener was underwhelming. People were more interested in seeing Drake in action rather than Zappe. It was great to see Milton’s performance, but they should have given Maye a better opportunity to showcase his abilities, considering what they’ve seen from him in practice..