Insider addresses training-camp struggles of Patriots' Drake Maye

Last week, NESN's George Balekji scoffed at suggestions that New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye could emerge as a bust after struggling in the early days of his first pro training camp.

NFL and Patriots insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated recently shared why New England isn't panicking about Maye yet.

"Maye has had rough moments, to be sure, but New England Patriots people attribute that to him running with the second team and how the team’s offensive line depth issue has really shown up with that group," Breer explained.

Breer acknowledged that veteran Jacoby Brissett "has been the best quarterback in camp" leading up to New England's preseason opener versus the Carolina Panthers this Thursday night. That's hardly a surprise, as it was said long before New England made Maye the third overall pick of this year's draft that the North Carolina product was a work in progress who would have to improve multiple aspects of his game before he was deemed ready to face a live defense in a regular-season contest.

"What’s impressed his coaches most is how good of a processor he is on the field — he can go, in his progression, from one to two to three fast, and even threw a touchdown pass to his fourth read in red-zone drills the other day," Breer added about Maye. "He sees things right away, and his footwork has come a long way, too."

As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook continued to list Brissett as the heavy betting favorite at -900 odds to start over Maye for New England's Week 1 matchup at the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 8. Whispers about sixth-round draft pick Joe Milton III outperforming Maye during some training camp sessions should simply serve as a reminder that Maye needs more than a summer to develop as a pro-ready signal-caller.

The Patriots still have Bailey Zappe on their roster and theoretically could turn to him if Brissett suffers any kind of physical setback before Week 1. Keeping Zappe around would allow New England to stash Maye on the depth chart as an unused backup through at least the club's Week 14 bye in December.