Patriots still confident current roster can support rookie quarterback

FOXBORO — Patriots vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf seems to have fewer concerns with his roster than certain subsets of the fanbase and media.

Wolf was asked point-blank if he feels like the Patriots can support any quarterback with the current pieces they have in place.

“Yes,” Wolf said.

That includes rookie Drake Maye.

“We’re concerned about every position. We’re always looking to improve and get things good, so whoever the quarterback is – it’s not like if Jacoby’s [Brissett] the quarterback, we just want to throw him with the wolves. So, we’re excited about our offensive line group. We’re still working to find the correct combination in there, and I think we have the pieces in place to be able to compete.”

Maye hasn’t taken any competitive reps with the first-team offensive line through the first three-plus weeks of training camp, playing behind Brissett. Some of his preseason reps have come with starting linemen, however.

The rookie shined in Thursday’s preseason action against the Eagles when he went 6-of-11 with a rushing touchdown.

“It was good to see him get in the other night. It was really good to see how calm and collected he was. He got headbutted at one point by Nolan Smith and made a nice play on that one,” Wolf said referencing a roughing the passer penalty. “But he’s steadily improved. He’s put his head down and worked. He’s a great teammate, and we’re excited to see where his development can go.”

Wolf wouldn’t say when he believes Maye will be ready to start, however. Head coach Jerod Mayo said Friday that the quarterback competition between Maye and Brissett is still ongoing.

It hasn’t looked like much a legitimate battle in camp, however.

“We’ll have to see. Again, he didn’t get a lot of snaps … in the first game. He did pretty well in his snaps the other night,” Wolf said. “It’s all about building on those successes and seeing where it goes.”

One of the things Wolf highlighted from Maye’s performance Thursday was that the 2024 third overall pick just played “ball” rather than thinking about “coaching points” and “trying to do everything perfect.”

“Drake’s very conscientious,” Wolf said.

Brissett is the safer option to start at quarterback, but Maye would provide the team with more upside and a higher ceiling. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud started from Week 1 last season as a rookie and led his team to a 9-6 record in 15 starts.

Wolf was asked if Stroud’s success makes it difficult to be patient with a top prospect like Maye.

“I mean, if you go look at it, C.J. Stroud was the anomaly in that regard,” Wolf said. “Again, it’s not about one person or one player. It’s about where the offense is, where Jacoby is and where the team is. We’re just focused on that.”