Drake Maye Is Repeating Familiar Patriots Problem at Training Camp

He’s off to an efficient start at training camp, but would-be franchise quarterback Drake Maye is also repeating a familiar problem for the New England Patriots. One that could have worrying implications for the prospects of a rebuilding offense during the 2025 NFL season.

The problem stems from Maye being solid, but far from spectacular, throwing the football at camp. As Chad Graff of The Athletic put it, “Maye is getting the ball out of his hands and finding lots of completions, even if most of them have been within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage.”

A small-ball style of passing has been a trend, since “through two days, Maye hasn’t thrown an interception and has a very high completion percentage. However, he also doesn’t have any particularly impressive throws that show off his arm strength.”

While this may seem like the inevitable learning curve for a QB taking the first steps in a new offense called by returning coordinator Josh McDaniels, Graff explained why playing it safe isn’t a sign of progress.

Drake Maye, Patriots Need More Big Plays

Having Maye settle for more cautious but less risky dumpoffs, instead of forcing the ball downfield is a two-edged sword. From one perspective, “a positive outlook would be that Maye is protecting the ball better than a year ago and making the decisions you’d want from someone who could be under a lot of pressure this season,” per Graff.

Yet, “a more negative perspective would be that this is similar to what we saw early in camp a year ago, when the Patriots didn’t hit any long passes and went on to have the fewest receptions in the NFL of 20 yards or more (34).”

Expanding a pedestrian passing game, along with reversing a recent losing streak, were the main reasons behind the Pats selecting Maye with the third-overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. He starred at North Carolina as a strong-armed passer who made plays off-script and threw effectively on the run.

Maye showed flashes of his big-play potential as a rookie, but he generally struggled to transfer those skills to the pros. One of this best moments was this 38-yard touchdown pass to tight end Austin Hooper on fourth down against the Miami Dolphins.

Ultimately though, plays like this were rare, and Maye finished with just 3.2 completed air yards per pass attempt, per Pro Football Reference. He also mustered a mere 175.1 passing yards per game.

It hardly helped Maye was surrounded by a sub-par supporting cast, but the Patriots made big moves this offseason to change that and boost those numbers. Including bringing McDaniels back to Gillette Stadium.

Patriots Must Get More from New Playmakers

McDaniels’ main task is to put the new weapons at Maye’s disposal to their best use. Chief among those weapons are All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs and rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson.

Both “were getting open for Drake Maye on short routes — Henderson in particular was much more involved in the passing game” during non-padded practice on Thursday, July 24, according to Sleeper’s Carlos A. Lopez, who also noted Maye went 14 of 15 “on a day filled with mostly short passes and screens.”

Maye could be forgiven for easing his way into a rapport with a key pair of new targets, particularly with McDaniels continuing to experiment. The McDaniels system is notoriously complex and underpinned by high-percentage throws that helped make Tom Brady one of the all-time great quarterbacks.

That’s the context to excuse a slow start for this year’s revamped passing game, but the Patriots didn’t sign Diggs and use premium 2025 draft picks on Henderson and speedy wideout Kyle Williams to live on a diet of short passes.

The Pats will have a hard time selling progress to anybody until they prove they can stretch the field through the air consistently.