Some Patriots news and notes on this Wednesday.
Maye Climbing the Depth Chart?
Tuesday saw a notable move as New England Patriots rookie QB Drake Maye found himself seeing more reps behind veteran Jacoby Brissett during the team’s two-hour practice session. That was certainly a bit of a change from the previous reports where Bailey Zappe had seemingly been getting a bit more work in various situations than the rookie.
Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt didn’t offer much insight during his brief session with reporters, saying that Brissett is their “starter,” with everything else seemingly yet to be determined.
“Jacoby, again, is our starter, and he’s playing excellent football for us in the spring, and Drake is coming on,” Van Pelt said Tuesday. “So until that changes, we are going to stick with what we got.”
One key takeaway from Van Pelt has been Maye’s progress as he continues to work on his fundamentals, with his footwork being one of the big areas of focus. The Patriots offensive coordinator said the rookie has “embraced it,” with Maye focusing in on ensuring his left foot is forward coming off his drop, whether it’s in the shotgun or under center. That’s something Van Pelt feels, “gives the offense the best chance to play on time and on rhythm.”
Still, it wasn’t the best day for either quarterback, with the club seeing work down in the red zone. Brissett had his own struggles, while Maye had a tough stint that included what appeared to be a miscommunication on an interception.
It didn’t help that the offensive line play doesn’t sound like it’s quite where it needs to be, at least based on the media reports from Tuesday. The protection appeared to be shaky at best, and that could be due to the fact the club was down some players, including tackle Chukwuma Okorafor, who was reportedly not on hand. Also reportedly absent was Mike Onwenu.
Factor in the absences, along with the new offensive scheme that includes big changes in how they do things up front, and it’s certainly not an ideal situation.
At the end of the session, the offense did push-ups after the defense spent the afternoon having its way with them.
Obviously, all of the above remains a work in progress. The good news is, there’s still plenty of time to figure it out, leaving training camp as the likely time where – for better or worse – they’ll ultimately have to sort things out.
Mayo Provides Some Insight on Left Tackle Questions
Head coach Jerod Mayo spoke to the media on Tuesday, with the club still trying to evaluate who will potentially be starting opposite Onwenu by the time the regular season kicks off.
As things currently sit, Onwenu is expected to remain at right tackle in 2024, but the left side still remains a question mark. Prior to his absence Tuesday, Okorafor had been seeing first-team reps, while Caedan Wallace continues trying to continue his transition from right tackle to left.
Mayo admitted that the two are on a “similar track,” but it’s still too early to make any type of real evaluation.
“Yeah, they’re on a similar track,” said Mayo. “Those guys are out there competing, and I would say the one where we look at those guys is versatility. Obviously, we look at Big Mike [Onwenu], saying he has the right side locked down, but these guys are all competing. They’re able to slide to different spots. They’re working out of a sense of abundance where those guys are working together, trying to get better. Once training camp gets here, we’ll see what happens.”
Still, it doesn’t sound like the Patriots have made any decisions, which could include either other players on the roster or, as Mayo also hinted, it sounds like they may keep an eye on other possible opportunities outside their current group to add to their depth.
“I mean, I think, look, we’re always trying to bring in good players,” said Mayo. “Those guys are doing well. We’ll see what happens as the roster continues to play out. Realistically, we’re still early in the process, and training camp will reveal a lot.”
One thought by some was that Onwenu could be a possibility to get some work at left tackle, potentially giving the club yet another option as they continue trying to figure that situation out. However, Mayo shot that down.
“To be transparent, not right now, no,” said Mayo when asked about it Tuesday.
So whether it’s Okorafor, Wallace, or potentially someone like Calvin Anderson, another incumbent on the roster, or somewhere else, it remains something that Mayo and his staff will need to get figured out.
Odds and Ends
Mayo admitted on Tuesday that obviously players getting a handle on the system and building some chemistry is important, but he also emphasized that he’s hopeful they’ll all be healthy heading into 2024. “I think the biggest thing – and this has been the goal not only for Drake, but for everyone – is to learn, have a basic understanding of the fundamentals and the X’s and O’s, build camaraderie and get out of here healthy,” said Mayo. “That’s the goal for the spring.” … While the team has offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, offensive coach Ben McAdoo, and quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney, Mayo said at the end of the day, Van Pelt is the sole person with the final say with the quarterbacks. “It’s 100% AVP, and this is common around the league with offensive coordinators,” said Mayo. “Usually, offensive coordinators coach the starting quarterback. With that being said, AVP and those guys are doing a good job of making sure the message is the same. But when it’s all said and done, AVP, that’s the heavier hand, to use your words.” … Mayo was asked about what he was looking for from rookie Joe Milton, and one key thing he mentioned was decision-making, which is obviously going to be key in his development. “The number one trait with any quarterback, in my eyes – this is, I guess, a philosophical thing – it’s just decision-making,” said Mayo. “It’s nice to have a big arm, but if you can’t make the right decision, I mean, you’ll be throwing cannonballs to the other side, to the other team. Accuracy, competitiveness, all that stuff is definitely important.” … Mayo also mentioned that when it comes to possible depth charts based on player rotations, people shouldn’t read too much into that,” he said. “I will say this, there are no starters. I mean, it’s easy for us right now with no pads on to say, ‘Well, this guy probably can do X, Y and Z based on what he’s done in the past.’ We’re trying to move forward from the past,” said Mayo. “It’s not a, ‘What have you done for me? What have you done in the past?’ It’s, ‘What have you done for me lately?’ and that’s why we’re trying to continue to build that competitive nature amongst the team. But, there are no depth charts.” … Jonathan Jones was absent again on Tuesday, and it sounds like it’s not injury related but may be a personal decision, at least based on Mayo’s comments. “He’s back and forth. You’ve got to remember this is voluntary,” said Mayo. “One thing about J-Jones, he’s an ultimate professional. I’m not really worried about him.”
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
