Patriots’ Drake Maye taking 30% of first-team reps in practice; here’s why that’s a good idea

The New England Patriots are using an unusual arrangement for their quarterback reps in practice. According to head coach Jerod Mayo, starter Jacoby Brissett is taking the majority of first-team reps, as would be expected. But the split of those reps with backup Drake Maye, who was the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, is much different than what we normally see teams use. 

“It’s not a secret, we have a quarterback in the wings that needs to continue to develop. Normally, the starter gets, let’s say, 95% of the reps. This is a little bit different,” Mayo said, via ESPN. “I guess the struggle is, ‘How do you get your starting quarterback prepared for the game and also continue to develop the guy in the background, which is Drake?’ And so it is like a 70-30 split.”

We knew from before the season began that this — or something like this — was the team’s plan for Maye. De facto Patriots general manager Eliot Wolf said as much a few days before New England’s opener. 

“We do have confidence in Drake,” Wolf said, via The Boston Herald. “It’s not like we’re just going to let him collect dust for the year. He’s going to be out there in practice taking reps, he’s going to take some reps with the (starters), he’s going to take some reps on the scout team and continue to progress and develop in that regard.”

While it may be unusual compared with how the rest of the league handles things, it is difficult to argue that this isn’t the best way for the Patriots, specifically, to dole out reps. New England is expected to be one of the NFL’s worst teams, this season, even after its upset Week 1 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The roster is clearly a work in progress, and the team is not currently favored by betting markets in a single game the rest of the way. 

The Pats are also clearly confident that Brissett can handle the reduced (compared with other starters) workload. 

“From day one, I’ve always said he’s a true professional,” Mayo said of Brissett. “I’ve always said he’s a great mentor, not only for Drake but also for [fellow rookie Joe] Milton. He’s won games in this league, and he understands we drafted Drake as the No. 3 pick in the draft; looking out the front windshield, at some point in time — I don’t know when that time will come — [Maye] will have to go out there and play.”

Brissett is a veteran who has been around the block several times, and he is familiar with the offense due to his previous experience working with offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt when they were both with the Browns. Turning 32 years old later this season and playing on a one-year contract, it’s clear that he is not a big part of the team’s future. Maye, meanwhile, basically is the team’s future; if he doesn’t develop into a franchise quarterback, the Pats will be starting over again within a few years. 

Making sure he’s ready to step on the field if and when the team needs him to do so is of the utmost importance. That includes if he is pressed into action unexpectedly because Brissett gets injured — a distinct possibility behind one of the league’s most porous offensive lines.

It may not be the single-best way to dole out reps if the Patriots want to maximize their chances of winning every single game this season; but given that they are unlikely to do so to begin with, and that Maye is likely to be the player who gives them the best chance to win sooner rather than later anyway, it makes sense for the Patriots to handle things this way, and do their best to ensure that when Maye’s time comes, he is up for the challenge.