The New England Patriots began their preseason on a strong note by defeating the Carolina Panthers, 17-3, on Thursday night, however, there's still work to be done.
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo played all four of the team's quarterbacks -- Bailey Zappe, Jacoby Brissett, Joe Milton III and Drake Maye -- but Maye, the No. 3 pick in this year's NFL draft, took the field for just a single drive. The reasoning became clearer when Mayo addressed the media during Friday's press conference, in which he admitted New England's offensive line remains a work in progress.
"Yeah, I mean, they're still under construction, the offensive line, and I've said it since day one, we're going to play the best five, whatever that combination looks like," Mayo said, per team-provided transcript. "We're always trying to get better. We're bringing in some linemen today for a workout, so we're always trying to get better and improve the front. It all starts there with the offensive line and defensive line when it comes to winning football games, so definitely an important part."
While replacing ex-head coach Bill Belichick and former starting quarterback Mac Jones took priority this offseason, the Patriots also knew their offensive line needed some fine-tuning as well. New England selected rookies Caedan Wallace (68th overall in Round 3) and Layden Robinson (103rd overall in Round 4) in the draft, hoping to repair a premier weakness that anchored last season's offense. Watching first-hand how faulty pass protection impacted Jones and Zappe in 2023 has seemingly left the Patriots cautious in their approach to developing Maye.
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"Each one of these quarterbacks have an individual development plan that I've gone over with AVP (offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt) and the rest of his staff," Mayo said. "We’re sticking to that plan until it’s time to change."
Perhaps Maye will get more reps during New England's next preseason contest against the Philadelphia Eagles next Thursday at Gillette Stadium.
Featured image via Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports Images
