FOXBORO – The Patriots’ top two quarterbacks made only brief cameos in New England’s first game of the 2024 preseason.
Veteran Jacoby Brissett – the clear QB1 since training camp began last month – played the first series of Thursday night’s 17-3 win over the Carolina Panthers before being relieved by top draft pick Drake Maye.
That early exit was not surprising. Probable starters rarely see much playing time in Week 1 of the preseason, and Maye needs all the reps he can get as the Patriots attempt to mold him into their quarterback of the future. But the rookie’s outing didn’t last long, either.
Maye also played just one drive before head coach Jerod Mayo handed the reins to third-year pro Bailey Zappe. Sixth-round rookie Joe Milton III closed out the night, playing the final three series and throwing the game’s only touchdown pass.
Mayo said postgame that giving Brissett and Zappe one possession apiece was “always the plan.”
“We wanted to see Jacoby out there obviously go out there and operate, as well as Drake, mixing them in there with the ones,” he said.
Brissett’s series opened with an 11-yard Rhamondre Stevenson run against the Panthers’ second-string defense, then quickly stalled. Brissett threw consecutive incompletions to Mitchell Wilcox and Tyquan Thornton before throwing the ball away on third down while being chased out of bounds by K’Lavon Chaisson.
His underneath pass to Wilcox sailed high – he said “the ball just slipped” in rainy conditions at Gillette Stadium – and bounced off the tight end’s fingertips. The throw to Thornton – a 40-yard deep ball down the right sideline – hung in the air and was broken up by cornerback Lamar Jackson, who had the Patriots speedster blanketed.
Brissett played behind a starting offensive line of (from left) Vederian Lowe, Sidy Sow, David Andrews, Mike Onwenu and Chukwuma Okorafor, with Sow and Okorafor both playing after missing time with injuries earlier in the week.
Stevenson started at running back, with Austin Hooper and Wilcox at tight end and K.J. Osborn and Thornton at wide receiver. JuJu Smith-Schuster and Jalen Reagor both saw time at wideout on the opening drive. Projected starting tight end Hunter Henry dressed but did not play. Sow, Andrews and Onwenu should be the Patriots’ starting interior trio this season if healthy. The ongoing offensive tackle competition has been a major storyline in training camp, with Lowe and Okorafor battling rookie Caedan Wallace and veteran Calvin Anderson for the two top spots.
The top O-line remained in for Maye. The third overall pick has played behind backups for much of camp, but Mayo did not want him doing that in a live-contact scenario.
“If he’s in there, we want him in there with the starting offensive line,” the coach said. “We’ve got to protect that guy. That absolutely did go into it.”
Maye went 2-for-3 with short completions to running backs Antonio Gibson and Kevin Harris. Both were passes behind the line of scrimmage, with the one to Gibson helping New England move the chains on third-and-13 after an Okorafor false start. The pass to Harris gained six yards on third-and-11, and the Patriots punted.
Maye said he “got chills” and was “a little nervous” for his first professional action but believed he “handled the jitters pretty well.” He regretted not trying to push the ball downfield on his checkdown to Harris but said he’ll learn from moments like that in film study.
The Patriots will host the Philadelphia Eagles for a joint practice and a preseason game next week. Asked whether Maye would see increased work with the ones ahead of that contest, Mayo deferred to offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt.
“I mean, look, the reps, that’s something to talk to AVP about,” the head coach said. “At the same time, I would say this is a huge week for us against Philly. We’ll see what happens in practice and then also in the game. But he’s ready to go. When he’s ready to go, we’ll put him there.”
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