The New England Patriots didn’t want to throw Drake Maye into the fire as a rookie. They tried to be patient. However, an atrocious offense somewhat necessitated that Jerod Mayo finally start the rookie No. 3 overall pick rather than lose his veteran locker room.
New England’s decision to let Maye play now behind a horrific offensive line and one of the NFL’s worst supporting cast of weapons reeks of unwitting desperation. Even worse, it comes at the worst possible time.
That’s because Maye will play not one, not two, not three, but four elite defenses in the league within roughly a month of his first year as the starter.
It starts this Sunday against DeMeco Ryans’ complex Houston Texans, who are buoyed by two of the best edge pass-rushers in the NFL, Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. That’s more or less just hoping Maye survives his official NFL starting debut. Maye will then get a break against the woeful Jacksonville Jaguars in two weeks before squaring off with the ferocious New York Jets, the underrated Tennessee Titans, and the stacked Chicago Bears in successive weeks.
Oh, and all of these defenses not only rank in the top 12 in FTN’s DVOA efficiency, but three of them (the Bears, Jets, and Titans) are in the top six expected points (EPA) added per play, according to RBDSM.com.
Uh … hoo boy. That’s basically throwing Maye into the deep end of the pool without floating tubes and hoping he doesn’t drown.
Yes, the Patriots can’t afford to lose their locker room with ineffective quarterback play. That’s fine. But everyone knows that ruining a quarterback’s confidence early is what mainly leads to them becoming a bust. There should’ve been some sort of compromise here for the most important person in New England’s organization right now.
Asking Maye to take relentless shots and struggle against some of the best defenses in the game with no help is asking for trouble. Worse yet, it might risk the Patriots’ entire future with the young signal-caller.