FOXBORO, Mass. — Two things can be true at once with the New England Patriots’ offense.
First, rookie quarterback Drake Maye has provided plenty of reason to be excited about his future as the face of the franchise.
Second, as the offense currently stands following mandatory minicamp, the Patriots have a lot of work to do to make any substantial leaps from the unit that scored the second-fewest points in the NFL in 2023. While it’s easy to explain that away as a new-look group amid a significant transitional period, it also can’t be ignored.
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Veteran Jacoby Brissett, the place-holding starter, finished 10-of-19 in team drills Wednesday during the minicamp finale. He was 25-of-45 (55.6 percent) in the pair of minicamp practices, including 18-of-31 during 11-on-11s. Based on the Patriots’ prior minicamp stretches, a starter should complete 70-75 percent of their passes in these settings, so Brissett’s low number stands out.
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Brissett isn’t entirely to blame. Throughout the week, there were miscommunications with blocking assignments — on top of many occasions when the offensive line gave up pressure far too quickly — along with an apparent play-action mishap and times when pass catchers saw things differently than the quarterback.
If that sounds bad, remember that it’d be a huge reach to expect this new offense to look anything like it should in the fall. New coaches are teaching new players a new scheme. It’s going to take time to get in sync.
There was a concerning sequence during a seven-on-seven period Wednesday when Brissett didn’t see cornerback Isaiah Bolden sitting underneath a post route and got away with a ball that should have been intercepted. Brissett followed that by being late on a drag route to running back Antonio Gibson that linebacker Joe Giles-Harris broke up before sailing a throw through the end zone beyond the reach of tight end Austin Hooper.
In the next 11-on-11 session, Brissett was “sacked” when defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale breezed through the line, later threw way behind receiver K.J. Osborn’s slant pattern, and then couldn’t connect with wideout Kayshon Boutte after a chaotic play-action sequence.
Brissett produced some good moments, too, including a perfect throw to well-covered rookie receiver Ja’Lynn Polk on a nifty move for a touchdown. A play later, the QB shuffled out of pressure and hit Boutte on an out route for another score. Still, there were more occasions when the offense looked out of sync.
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Maye, on the other hand, flashed more frequently. He finished 8-of-15 with an interception Wednesday and 27-of-42 (64.3 percent) overall in minicamp, including 18-of-28 with the pick in 11-on-11s.
There were times earlier this week when his processing speed looked slow — remember, he’s been practicing for a month — and that was an issue early Wednesday with a miscommunication on his second pass and then a play later when his back-footed throw to receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster was easily intercepted by cornerback Azizi Hearn. A period later, Maye almost threw another pick when a defender crept underneath tight end Hunter Henry’s route.
Maye did get into an impressive rhythm later in practice, though. After misfiring on five of his first eight passes, Maye and the offense took over at the defense’s 10-yard line, and the rookie threw three consecutive touchdowns to Boutte — first on a slant in a tight window against cornerback Alex Austin, then again against Austin on a leaping, toe-tapping out route and finally a perfect corner fade with cornerback Mikey Victor attached to his belt loop.
Maye opened his final period by hitting Boutte in the seam between three defenders, then recovered from two subsequent incompletions to connect with Polk for a beautiful diving grab in the back of the end zone.
Even better? Maye told Polk a series earlier that final fade route was going to be in play for him. So the rookie QB was seeing things develop in real time, then put the exclamation point on minicamp with a touchdown in a “gotta-have-it” situation with 1 second on the clock.
Once Maye gets up to speed with the play calls in the huddle, the checks at the line and the field vision to be confident in his reads, he should earn a genuine opportunity to start. There was enough on display this week in minicamp to believe such a door could open at some point in August.
Here are several more takeaways from the week.
Going Gonzo
It’s hard to argue with cornerback Christian Gonzalez on this one.
When asked if he felt 100 percent, the 2023 first-round pick smiled, nodded his head and replied, “You all saw it out there. I’m feeling good.”
Physically, Gonzalez stood out this week. He’s fluid and athletic, uses his length to his advantage and competes with every rep. He got beat a few times Monday, but a couple of occasions were on plays when he wasn’t able to play with necessary physicality, like against a speed out in the end zone. Those are the types of adjustments that will come with more experience.
Gonzalez has all the makings of a true No. 1 cornerback. Whether it happens this year or next, expect Gonzalez to turn a lot more heads in the near future.
Minicamp cookin' 😤 pic.twitter.com/xlzG9sQxEp
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) June 12, 2024
Contractual orders
Running back Rhamondre Stevenson caught everyone’s attention Monday when he said he was “pretty close” to landing a new contract with the Patriots.
Adding to that, a league source said there’s been progress and a new deal could be on the way, but it sounded like there were still things to work through. It’s certainly plausible, with the way de facto general manager Eliot Wolf has motored through extensions for the franchise’s best returning young players, the Patriots take care of that business in relatively short order.
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Patriots coach Jerod Mayo alluded Wednesday to defensive tackle Davon Godchaux also hoping for a new deal. Godchaux, who turns 30 in November, is in the final year of his two-year, $15 million extension. He’s set to earn $7.15 million in base salary plus up to $1 million with per-game roster bonuses.
It’s unclear where Godchaux’s desires lie or how willing the Patriots are to hand him an extension. One thought: Could the team simply guarantee enough of Godchaux’s salary to ensure he’ll be on the roster in 2024? That’d give him peace of mind in knowing he wouldn’t be a cap casualty at the end of camp and therefore face a salary squeeze when he needs to find a new team.
Polk dots the feet
Polk’s final catch from Maye was the best moment of camp. It was a competitive period for the offense and defense with pushups and trash talk on the line, and it was set to be the last play of the day regardless of the outcome.
Polk, who had a ball knocked away by Austin on the previous play, got a step on Victor in the end zone, reached out to squeeze Maye’s quick lob and tapped his feet on the sideline to secure the catch.
Officials initially ruled it incomplete before a group conferred outside the end zone as players and coaches from both sides lobbied their case. They eventually signaled for the TD after nearly a minute of deliberations. (From my vantage point, it looked like a clear touchdown.)
“Going out there and competing for the ball,” Polk said. “When the team is counting on you, I want to put that chip on my shoulder and make the play.”
Polk recorded a touchdown catch Wednesday from both Brissett and Maye, along with a reception from each during the Monday workout. The 2024 second-rounder wasn’t a volume producer in minicamp, but his catches were all loud.
Who’s kicking?
The jury’s still out on that question.
Kickers Chad Ryland and Joey Slye were erratic this week, so there’s got to be some concern that the field-goal woes from 2023 will spill into the coming season.
Ryland was 16-of-25 (64 percent) as a rookie. Slye was 19-of-24 in 2023 with the Washington Commanders, but his conversion rate has declined from 92 percent in 2021 to 83.3 percent in 2022 to 79.2 percent in 2023.
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Expect the Patriots to have kickers on speed dial if they fear this trend will continue into camp.
Mayo leftovers
We couldn’t fit every nugget into the recent features on the Patriots’ new brain trust and the return of Dont’a Hightower, who joined the coaching staff this offseason, so let’s pass along a couple now.
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Hightower and Mayo are both strong candidates to eventually be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame. (Mayo is eligible now. Hightower will be eligible in 2026.)
“Put him in there before you put me in there,” Mayo said while vouching for his close friend.
Mayo was a seven-time captain during his eight-year career and passed the torch to a more-than-able successor in Hightower to close out his playing career.
“My mom always used to say to leave it better than how you found it,” Mayo said. “I felt real good passing that torch to guys like Hightower and the rest in the room.”
And here’s one last quote on the Patriots’ expectations as they come off a 4-13 season.
“I think we have to be honest with ourselves,” Mayo said. “To sit here and say we’re guaranteed the Super Bowl would be silly. The main focus, for me at least, was to get the coaches here and to build the staff. Wins and losses, obviously, is No. 1. But it’s really about how we iron out the process, how we get guys on the field who want to compete and play for one another.
“When I think about success, I think about a team that goes out there flying around, loving what they’re doing, and they’re executing at a very high level on a play-by-play basis. I’m going to be judged by wins and losses when it’s all said and done, and I wouldn’t want to be judged by anything else.”
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(Photo of Drake Maye: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
