Patriots Reportedly Planning Major Change at Quarterback
The latest report suggests that the Patriots are planning a big Drake Maye decision.
After an impressive start to the season on the road against the Bengals, things have started going downhill fast for the New England Patriots. The Thursday Night Football showdown against the Jets was a complete disaster from start to finish, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
One silver lining of the blowout loss was that it gave Drake Maye an opportunity to make his NFL debut. The rookie played 16 snaps, completed four of eight passes for 15 yards, and added 12 more on the ground in two attempts. A late fourth-quarter stint is obviously not enough to take anything meaningful away. However, the latest report from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer suggests that we will be seeing more of Maye soon.
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“My understanding is that the plan is for that to happen at some point in 2024—this won’t be a full-on redshirt year. They’ll be patient. But Maye’s progress has gotten to the point where the expectation is he’ll earn his way on to the field relatively soon, with the one caveat being that the Patriots’ offense will have to show (as it did against the Cincinnati Bengals, then didn’t against the Jets) that it can play the way it needs to in order to support a rookie quarterback.”
It’s important to note that this is not some earth-shattering new information from Breer. Anyone who has been following the Patriots could have guessed that Maye would get the starting job at some point in the season.
At the same time, the organization has been hesitant to confirm this. Head coach Jerod Mayo has underlined the fact that Jacoby Brissett was the starter and refused to give any indication that things would change any time soon.
Breer’s update could signal that the organizational approach is shifting.
The Patriots play the 49ers in Week 4. It doesn’t make much sense for Maye to start then but another deflating loss with Brissett under center will certainly increase the calls for the rookie to get the job on October 6 against the Miami Dolphins.
The New England Patriots announced today that T Jalen McKenzie has been signed to the practice squad.
McKenzie, 25, originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with Tennessee out of Southern California on May 13, 2022. The 6-foot-5, 315-pounder, was released at the end of training camp and spent his rookie season on the Seattle practice squad. He was released by Seattle at the end of training camp in 2023 and spent the year on the Las Vegas practice squad. McKenzie was released by Las Vegas on Aug. 27, 2024. He played both right tackle and left tackle at USC.
