Patriots fans have questions galore about their team’s rookie quarterbacks and rookie wide receivers.
Let’s answer them in this week’s mailbag.
@RyPatrick11
In the most likely scenario that Brissett is the starter, is Zappe his backup with Maye being the emergency 3rd QB so he doesn’t get thrusted into starting in the event of an injury? Or is the Brissett’s backup Maye?
First of all, I don’t know if Jacoby Brissett starting the season is the most likely scenario. It looks that way based off of reps at OTAs, but there’s a long time before the start of the 2024 NFL season — over three months to be more precise.
After Drake Maye was drafted third overall, there were people in the building who believed he could start Week 1 and didn’t necessarily need to sit as a rookie.
But if Brissett is the starter, then I would bank on Maye being his backup. It would make more sense for the Patriots to keep Joe Milton III around as a developmental option behind Maye than to keep Bailey Zappe at that point.
I don’t think the Patriots could get much in a trade for Zappe, but there are some teams where he would be an upgrade as a backup like with the Bears, Chargers, Packers and 49ers.
@CameronCards
Hey Doug, I love that the Patriots drafted QB Joe Milton. Is his presence in the QB room more than just to push Maye to be great? Is there a legit shot he developed into a better QB option for the Patriots? Can’t really judge players before they’ve taken a snap, you’re thoughts?
I don’t think it’s either. I think the Patriots liked Milton’s traits more than those of other players available with the 193rd overall pick. And it was pretty easy to see why when watching Milton throw at rookie minicamp and their first OTAs session.
Milton was absent for the Patriots’ second OTAs practice open to the media, but it was due to something considered minor.
But Milton has an absolute rocket for an arm. I certainly don’t think the Patriots drafted him envisioning him being a better option at quarterback than Maye. They wouldn’t have taken Maye third overall if that was the case. But Milton is a great option to have as a developmental backup who could eventually be good enough to be traded. And if he’s not, then maybe he could hang around as a backup. Regardless, it’s not a major risk to take a swing in the sixth round.
@Cmerc5
How do you see the WR room playing out? Who gets cut or traded
Breaking it down, I see rookies Javon Baker and Ja’Lynn Polk as locks. I also see Kendrick Bourne, DeMario Douglas and K.J. Osborn as locks as long as they’re healthy. If all five players are on the 53-man roster, then there’s likely only one spot available for Kawaan Baker, Kayshon Boutte, T.J. Luther, Jalen Reagor, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton. Out of those six players, I would have Smith-Schuster on the roster.
He has higher upside than Kawaan Baker, Boutte, Luther, Reagor and Thornton based solely on what he’s done in the past. Yes, last season was ugly, but he said he’s back to 100%, and he’s a player who’s actually had a 1,400-yard season and two 900-yard seasons. That’s more than the rest of those receivers can say.
If Bourne starts the season on the PUP list, or if another wide receiver gets injured, then I’d put Thornton as the next in line to make the team, though it’s close with Reagor.
@ThomasMartell11
Building off of the WR room question, what is going to be the situation with JUJU
If Smith-Schuster is on the team, then I don’t see him as being more than a fifth wide receiver behind Bourne, Osborne, Douglas and one of the rookies. The nice thing about Smith-Schuster is that you know that he can play in the slot or the “Z” wide receiver position. So, he can play multiple wide receiver roles from the bench.
@FantasyintheAM
In 3 years – who is the WR1 assuming no one is brought in through free agency and you can only choose from who is on the roster?
Polk would be the obvious choice as a 2024 second-round pick, but Javon Baker might actually have slightly higher upside. The knock on Baker is that he’s inconsistent. And we’ve seen that even in rookie minicamp and OTAs. He’s made some mistakes. He’s had a drop, and he was targeted on an interception from Zappe that might have been through some fault of the receiver. But he’s also made some of the most impressive catches we’ve seen through three practices.
He had dominant moments last season at UCF. It’s just about putting it all together.
@4bird_mud
Our O/U is 4.5 this year. I know this is a downer of a question but it’s a situation we’re likely to find ourselves in. Say we start 0-6. Do you start Maye even if he isn’t outperforming Jacobi? Same question if we’ve been eliminated from playoff contention later in the year.
The Patriots’ seventh game is in London against the Jaguars. I don’t think that would be a terrible situation for a rookie debut. I might hold it off until Week 9 against the Titans in Nashville.
But I don’t know. We’re putting the cart before the horse. We don’t know if Brissett or Maye is going to start the season, and we won’t know until August at the earliest.
One more quick thing: I’m participating in the Eversource Walk for Boston Children’s Hospital on June 9 to raise money for pediatric cancer research in honor of my daughter, Hallie, who passed away earlier this year of AML after months of treatment at Boston Children’s. If you’re interested in donating to the cause or passing along any information, the link is here: http://fundraise.childrenshospital.org/goto/HallieKyedDK. Anything is greatly appreciated.
