Patriots icon Julian Edelman comes away impressed with Drake Maye as rookie QB dominates vs Commanders
The New England Patriots were forced to insert Drake Maye early in their final preseason game against the Washington Commanders on Sunday. The rookie quarterback came in for Jacoby Brissett after the latter had to exit the game with a shoulder injury.
The rookie put forth an impressive display in dire circumstances, completing 13 of his 20 pass attempts for 126 yards and one touchdown.
The numbers do not accurately quantify how impressive Drake Maye was. The 21-year-old had to deal with the Patriots offensive line sabotaging the team with a slew of gaffes.
But the quarterback did not let those hinder him and showed terrific poise in the pocket and great mechanics on the move even with the pass protection around him collapsing on seemingly every play.
Patriots icon Julian Edelman, who was part of three Super Bowl-winning teams, was among the majority who enjoyed watching Drake Maye's strong outing. He lauded the rookie for his stellar display on X, writing,
"Maye looking real composed out there"
The Patriots are yet to name a starting quarterback for the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. However, coach Jerod Mayo has handed Brissett the start in all three preseason outings, suggesting he'd be under center at Paul Brown Stadium in Week 1. But that could be about to change.
Jacoby Brissett's injury hands Drake Maye a Week 1 lifeline
Less than three minutes into the first quarter, a mental error from Patriots lineman Michael Onwenu allowed defensive end KJ Henry to get to Jacoby Brissett untouched.
The quarterback had no time to dodge the Commanders star or brace himself for impact. Henry crashed into the quarterback and tackled him to the floor. The veteran hit the ground shoulder-first with the defensive end's weight on him, which led to a shoulder injury that ruled him out of the game.
It's unclear how severe Brissett's injury is. However, if he's forced to sit out their season-opener against the Bengals, the Patriots would've no choice but to hand Drake Maye his first career start.
The rookie will hope that the Patriots offensive lineman would do a better job protecting him against Cincinnati's pass rushers than they did for Brissett against the Commanders.