Giants Rookie’s Status Could Give Patriots Hope For Drake Maye

The decision on Drake Maye’s status is out of the New England Patriots’ hands, but a fellow rookie’s status could offer valuable insight.

Running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. suffered a concussion in the final minutes of the New York Giants’ loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Like Maye, Tracy was in the concussion protocol this week.

After consecutive days of limited participation in practice, head coach Brian Daboll told reporters there was hope Tracy would be cleared for Sunday, per Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News.

That’s a quick turnaround, and it should give the Patriots hope that Maye also will be cleared to start Sunday. Head coach Jerod Mayo admitted the decision is up to the league as the Patriots prepare for either Maye or Jacoby Brissett to start. Maye’s progression in practice seemed to indicate he was in Stage 4 of 5 for the concussion protocol.

Not all concussions are the same, so it’s not a guarantee that Maye will get cleared like Tracy is expected to. It’s not a rule, but the expectation is that players miss a game after being placed on the concussion protocol. There’s a chance that Tracy and Maye will be outliers.