Browns defensive players sound off on Patriots QB Drake Maye ahead of Patriots game

Drake Maye is having a career year at the helm of the New England Patriots offense.

He leads the NFL in completion percentage at 75.2 through the first seven games of the 2025 campaign. Maye torched the Tennessee Titans last weekend, completing 90% of his passes throwing for 222 yards and two touchdowns.

When the Cleveland Browns match up against Maye and the Patriots this weekend, the Browns' defense will have to be ready to fire on all cylinders. Coming off just six points allowed against the Miami Dolphins and four forced turnovers, Cleveland looks ready to go, and the Maye-led Patriots will be a mid-season test.

"He's a great quarterback," CB Denzel Ward said. "He has been playing very well for those guys and that's showing. So regardless of whether they're short or deep, he's making the passes, those guys are catching it, and we just have to make it tough on those guys."

Ward has been a staple on the Browns' defense in 2025.

He currently has 20 tackles, one for a loss, five pass deflections and one interception. Just a short few weeks ago the team moved on from Ward's counterpart, Greg Newsome II, in exchange for the Jaguars' Tyson Campbell. While the move came as a surprise for both players and fans alike, Campbell has been great in his two games with the Browns.

He also has one interception, except his went for six points against the Dolphins back on Sunday. He's also recorded four pass deflects and forced one fumble.

Another player for the Browns secondary who will be tasked with shutting down Maye is safety Grant Delpit. Currently, he's flying under the radar of many as one of the best safeties in the league this season.

"As defensive backs, we love when they throw it deep," S Grant Delpit said. "That's opportunities for us, especially for Denzel (Ward) with the speed he has. I'm sure he loves seeing that ball hang up there."

Delpit's played an incredible game, week in and week out. He currently has 37 tackles, placing him fourth on the team, two for a loss, two quarterback hits and a forced fumble and recovery. In the passing game, he has one interception and three pass deflections.

The 27-year-old out of LSU has been a critical piece of this defense since he joined the team with the 44th overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.

One of the things Maye has excelled at this season is staying in the pocket and not being affraid of pressure. He is posting roughly 2.83 seconds of pocket time each snap, allowing a better chance of getting a read and finding an open receiver.

This duals as both a positive and negative for Cleveland.

While this allows more time for 2023 Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to get in the backfield, it means that the defensive backs for the Browns will need to keep up with their receivers. The game on Sunday will come down to how locked-in the Cleveland defensive backs are and how quick Garrett and the defensive line can put pressure on the second-year signal caller.

"That's just our whole mantra, rush and coverage work together," Ward said. "So, we just have to do a great job with the rush, causing some havoc up there and us staying tight in coverage, not making it easy for him, not getting easy access or reads on those throws, and being able to get our hands on the ball."

Of all the quarterbacks Cleveland has seen this year, Maye be the most dynamic. With the Browns looking to build momentum, a win on the road against the Patriots could be season-altering.

Cleveland and New England will clash from Gillette Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 26, with kickoff slated for 1:00 p.m.