Patriots quarterback Drake Maye didn’t do a whole lot in his professional debut Thursday.
New England kept things brief with the No. 3 pick, giving him one series that lasted a grand total of six reps. It wasn’t like he did anything wrong, or as if there was a problem with the way he approached his first opportunity, the Patriots were just sticking to the plan.
“I talked to (Alex Van Pelt), (Ben) McAdoo and the entire offensive staff about what the plan was for the quarterbacks,” Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said Friday. “This conversation has been ongoing. This was always the plan, to develop these guys this way.”
Maye finished 2-for-3 for 19 yards, picking up one first down before the unit punted and he returned to the sideline. He didn’t take any deep shots. He didn’t make any “wow” plays. He didn’t have an opportunity to, but that could change next week.
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“I would also say, during practice he gets a lot of reps,” “Going into Eagles week, this is, honestly, a huge week for for everyone to practice against the Eagles, and then we’ll see how the reps kind of break down in the game. I expect Drake to get more reps than he did in the first game against the Eagles.”
The Patriots will meet the Eagles twice next week, with a joint practice session scheduled for Tuesday before they meet in an official exhibition Thursday. Maye is expected to get plenty of opportunities against Philadelphia, as the threat of getting him injured behind a shaky offensive line dissipates thanks to those handy red jerseys.
Joe Milton III’s surprising debut will only serve to further frustrate Patriots fans, but Maye’s development is more important than a few preseason highlights. It’ll take some time, but those will eventually come.
