Drake Maye watch: Patriots rookie QB struggles again in second day in pads

FOXBORO — The Patriots have only been practicing for a week and the 2024 season is over a month away, but it still feels like Jacoby Brissett is pulling away from rookie Drake Maye in the starting quarterback battle.

Brissett is stacking solid days in training camp — despite some overall miscues on offense — while Maye has struggled in three consecutive practices.

“He’s asking questions, he’s trying to get better, and that’s all you can ask for right now,” running back Rhamondre Stevenson said Tuesday of the rookie QB.

We give the timeline as context. There is still plenty of time for Maye to push Brissett, match him and potentially pass him in the QB battle, but the offense is currently in better shape with the veteran QB under center.

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Contract disputes distract Patriots’ first padded practice of training camp

Maye had a chance to respond Tuesday to a challenging performance in the first padded session of his career, and things started out well. He arrived 10 minutes early to practice, warmed up with staffers and stretched with the rest of the roster. After some offense vs. offense walk-throughs with the quarterbacks, offensive line, Stevenson and tight ends Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper, Maye, Brissett, Bailey Zappe and Joe Milton threw into nets. For the first time, all four quarterbacks went 2-of-2, and Milton capped things off with a standing backflip, playing to the crowd.

Quarterbacks then threw to staffers, handed off to running backs, threw to running backs and threw to tight ends. Against air, Maye skied a pass to tight end La’Michael Pettway during the individual work.

He also missed a pass throwing to wide receivers on air, hitting Tyquan Thornton, Javon Baker and JuJu Smith-Schuster but overthrew Baker on his eighth attempt.

The Patriots then broke into 1-on-1s. Maye started out with wide receivers facing off against cornerbacks. He was 2-of-4 in his first turn. He threw an accurate deep ball to wide receiver K.J. Osborn — perhaps his best throw of the day, but cornerback Jonathan Jones yanked it out for a pass breakup. He completed passes to Ja’Lynn Polk and David Wallis but missed Kawaan Baker.

Maye then crossed from the right practice field to the left practice field to begin throwing to running backs and tight ends facing linebackers and safeties. He was 7-of-12 throwing to running backs and tight ends. Tight end Mitchell Wilcox dropped one of the incompletions, and linebacker Steele Chambers broke up a pass intended for running back Terrell Jennings, but Maye was also inaccurate on passes to tight end Hunter Henry and threw too long to running back JaMycal Hasty on a deep ball against linebacker Christian Elliss.

Overall, Maye was 9-of-16 in the 1-on-1 period.

Brissett was up first in 11-on-11s, going 1-of-3 with three handoffs, hitting Wilcox in the flat. Safety Joshuah Bledsoe broke up a pass on a target to Henry on a drag route, and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster dropped a target while wide open.

Maye was 2-of-2 and handed off four times. He hit Wilcox in the flat on a play-action pass and Pettway in the flat.

Linemen then went to the far side of the field while the quarterbacks and skill players worked on 7-on-7s in the red zone. Brissett was 2-of-4 with one of the top plays of practice, throwing to Polk in the back left corner of the end zone with the rookie high-pointing the ball over cornerback Marco Wilson.

Maye was 3-of-4, hitting Stevenson in the flat, slot receiver DeMario Douglas on a shallow out and Smith-Schuster on a slant. He overthrew Henry with safety Kyle Dugger in coverage.

Zappe also went 3-of-4.

The red zone work continued in 11-on-11s. Brissett hit Henry for a touchdown up the seam with Bledsoe in coverage. Brissett was 1-of-3. He had to throw the ball away with defensive end Keion White bearing down with pressure. His final pass of the period was broken up by Bledsoe on a target to Hooper.

Maye was just 1-of-2, overthrowing Osborn on an intermediate pass and completing a bubble screen to wide receiver Kayshon Boutte. The offense also had to re-huddle on the fourth snap of Maye’s turn.

Milton was 2-of-3 and fired up the offense by hitting Smith-Schuster in the end zone on a slant.

Following ball security and special teams periods, the Patriots ended practice with more 11-on-11 work. Brissett was 3-of-4 with a sack. At one point, the entire offense had to take a lap around the goal post after Polk committed a pre-snap penalty. Brissett responded on the next play by hitting Osborn on an intermediate slant.

Maye was 2-of-7. He threw behind Wilcox on a stick route that was broken up by Elliss and overthrew Javon Baker on a drag before running back Kevin Harris fumbled. Cornerback Marco Wilson recovered it for a touchdown. Maye then threw behind Javon Baker on a pass breakup by Wilson, handed off to rookie running back DeShaun Fenwick and threw behind Polk on a bootleg pass. Maye hit Polk on a drag route, handed off to Hasty and then had a pass broken up by cornerback Shaun Wade on a fade route by Javon Baker.

The offense reset, Maye completed a pass in the flat to tight end Jacob Warren, scrambled on his next snap and then handed off to Jennings.

Milton finished things off by going 1-of-2 with a handoff.

Maye has struggled to make standout plays in his first two padded practices, and there have been too many pre-snap issues overall for the Patriots’ offense over the past three days.

Wide receiver Jalen Reagor is still seeing encouraging signs, however.

“He’s got a lot of arm talent,” Reagor said. “Whenever he does get more opportunities, he’s going to show you guys how great he really is and why he went where he went. I’m happy to have him here.”

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