Patriots have Drake Maye concern surface early in training camp

The New England Patriots offense isn't humming early in training camp after the return of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft bet that Jerod Mayo's coaching staff was the main problem with New England last season. 

It appears personnel might be more of an issue than New England wants to admit, based on a report from training camp by Chad Graff of The Athletic.

Graff suggested the front office didn't do enough in the offseason to help a unit that ranked 31st in total offense in 2024. 

The addition of star wide receiver Stefon Diggs won't offset an offense that is having a hard time getting the ball snapped correctly and a second-year quarterback dealing with accuracy issues.

"If you’re ready to nitpick and believe the front office didn’t do enough this offseason to improve the offense, there have been plenty of struggles to which you can point," Graff wrote. "In short, the offense has been inconsistent. 

"At times, the offensive line looks pretty shaky. At times, the bottom of the wide receiver depth chart has struggled. At times (including at Tuesday’s practice), Maye’s accuracy is an issue. And there have been way too many botched snaps between Maye and his centers, which can be drive-enders."

Graff did credit Maye with making some "on-the-money" passes at practice, which is expected to come from the No. 3 pick in the 2024 draft.

However, the quarterback-center exchange is concerning at this point in the offseason. That's a duty that should have been nailed during OTAs.

The Patriots are flirting with disaster with Maye's development by not giving the young quarterback better protection and better weapons to target in the passing game. There's only so much that head coach Mike Vrabel and his staff can fix.

Per Over the Cap, New England has $59.6 million in cap space for 2025, the most in the league by nearly $10 million. It might want to make a trade or add a free-agent wide receiver like Amari Cooper or Keenan Allen before Week 1.