Coach shares how Patriots' Drake Maye improved during the preseason

It was routinely said both before and after the New England Patriots made quarterback Drake Maye the third overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft that he had to improve aspects of his game, such as his footwork before he'd be ready to start a meaningful contest ahead of veteran Jacoby Brissett. 

Patriots quarterback coach T.C. McCartney spoke with reporters on Thursday and indicated that Maye is ahead of schedule for New England's preseason finale at the Washington Commanders on Sunday. 

“For Drake, it’s like any quarterback. The biggest thing is tying his feet to his eyes," McCartney explained, as Mark Daniels of MassLive shared. "If your feet are right and your eyes are right, you have a really good chance. He’s super talented. If we can get those things right, the ball’s going to come out where it’s supposed to. ...If there’s elements of leadership, you just have to learn as you go through things — just how you carry yourself as a franchise quarterback." 

Concerns about Maye possibly being a bust arose among New England fans after it was reported that he had been outperformed in at least a couple of training camp practices by sixth-round draft pick Joe Milton III. However, Maye was then New England's best signal-caller in the exhibition game versus the Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 15, and first-year Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo made it clear this week that the 21-year-old could leapfrog Brissett on the depth chart as soon as this coming Monday. 

"There’s obviously a difference when you come in on your first day to knocking on the door of the season," McCartney said about Maye's development from springtime workouts through this week. "We expected him to be here. We expected him to be really good. And we expect Jacoby to be really good. I don’t think any of this is unexpected." 

On Thursday, Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said Brissett was "our starting quarterback" as the club remained "in the evaluation process." New England coaches seemingly want to see Maye claim the starting job at Commanders Field on Sunday, and how he responds to that challenge will determine his status for the Week 1 matchup at the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 8.