Analyst Gets Honest on Patriots QB's Decision-Making

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye definitely showed a lot of positive signs during his rookie campaign, but one area in which he raised some questions was in his decision-making.

Maye threw 2,276 yards and 15 touchdowns while completing 66.6 percent of his passes in 13 appearances and 12 starts, but he also threw 10 interceptions and fumbled nine times.

As a result, many have pointed to Maye's mistakes as a rather glaring concern heading into 2025, but Zachary Pereles of CBS Sports doesn't seem to think it's that big of a deal.

"If you read the caption above and think 'this guy doesn't take care of the ball and isn't accurate -- he must be bad,' you're mistaken," Pereles wrote. "With dreadful surroundings, Maye showed some really good things, perhaps most importantly that he could keep his head above water."

That is certainly true. Maye had a horrendous supporting cast around him last season. New England had what was probably the worst offensive line and the worst receiving corps in football, and yet, the 22-year-old still managed to impress during his rookie campaign.

"Maye had a 47.4% success rate, 17th out of 36 quarterbacks and right around what Sam Darnold produced in Minnesota," Pereles added. "Jacoby Brissett, playing in the same offense as Maye, had a 37.6% success rate, which would have been the worst among qualifying quarterbacks. Maye kept the Patriots at on track."

This offseason, the Pats went out and added a bunch of pieces to help Maye. They brought in free-agent wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins as well as selecting Kyle Williams in the NFL Draft. They also signed veteran tackle Morgan Moses and took fellow tackle Will Campbell with the fourth overall pick.

Of course, the Patriots' offense still faces serious questions going into the new season, but the environment should be much more comfortable for Maye this time around.