Reporter rips takes about Patriots' Drake Maye struggling in training camp

New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye has generated plenty of headlines over the past week for his struggles during training camp practices.

Reporter George Balekji responded to takes about Maye's performances during the latest edition of NESN's "Boston Has Entered The Chat" program.

"It's not just him," Balekji said about Maye. "It's the situation. ...You don't have a (true No. 1 wide receiver). You're learning a new offensive system. It's all about timing. It's all about being on the same page. It's all about being on schedule. Don't worry about Drake Maye right now. If it's the same stuff a month from now, the same exact stuff, where he just looks lost, then be worried."

Shortly after the Patriots made Maye the third overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, analysts noted that New England's lack of talent at multiple offensive positions made for a difficult "landing spot" for a young signal-caller who was always going to be a work in progress at this stage of his development.

Just last week, Patriots and NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated noted that Maye was "immersed working on fundamentals from the ground up" after he had "been almost exclusively a shotgun quarterback" before the start of springtime workouts.

With all that said, eyebrows were raised when it was suggested that sixth-round draft pick Joe Milton III was outperforming Maye during training camp. Balekji insisted there's no chance Milton "might be QB2 on this roster" ahead of Maye for New England's regular-season opener at the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 8.

Veteran Jacoby Brissett is widely expected to begin the campaign atop the Patriots' depth chart.

"If Drake Maye looks this bad and the offensive line looks this bad and Jacoby Brissett goes down in Week 2 ... Joe Milton out there, it's going to be terrible," Balekji continued. "You are leaving the rest of the roster out there to dry. I don't know if (backup and third-year pro) Bailey Zappe could get the job done and I don't want to risk Drake Maye."

First-year head coach Jerod Mayo spoke with reporters about Maye on Thursday and pointed out that "all the rookies are battling through something." While some believe Mayo may want to keep Maye as an inactive backup through at least the team's Week 14 bye in December, it's currently unclear who would serve as New England's temporary QB1 if Brissett went down with a significant injury.