Drake Maye Looking For Balance As Patriots' Dual-Threat Quarterback
Drake Maye hopes to remain a passer longer in 2025. The former No. 3 overall pick hopes to keep eyes downfield when outside the pocket. Whether it be by air or by ground, he hopes for explosive plays.
But putting the defense under duress can also put the quarterback under duress. The New England Patriots are managing that fine line.
'I think it's an even balance of gaining an extra hat,' Maye said of the team's philosophy with his scrambling following Thursday's training camp walkthrough. 'Having the quarterback be able to run the football, you get an extra number and you make it 11-on-11 instead of 10-on-11. I think it's always useful.'
That numbers game had a hand in Maye's rookie season in Foxborough.
Across 13 appearances, including 12 starts, the North Carolina product turned 54 carries into a pair of touchdowns and 421 yards under previous offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. Among quarterbacks around the league, the lone rushers to finish ahead of him were Bo Nix, Caleb Williams, Anthony Richardson, Kyler Murray, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Jayden Daniels and Lamar Jackson.
'I think, at the end of the day, I'll make some plays kind of off schedule anyway,' added Maye, who is now under the watch of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. 'But mixing in the quarterback run game is something I'm open to, and I think it's always tough when a defense has to cover that and keep that in mind.'
A long of 41 yards was logged by Maye. Just 14 yards on resigned run plays were, however, according to Pro Football Focus.
There was reason for caution. Maye entered the NFL's concussion protocol last October against the New York Jets and was cleared in time to face the Tennessee Titans as the calendar turned to November. He later entered the blue medical tent to be evaluated for head injury in December versus the Los Angeles Chargers, yet returned to the field after missing one series. A right hand issue also surfaced on the injury report late in the year.
The dual-threat quarterback was sacked 34 times by January while completing 66.6% of his passes for 2,276 yards. Fifteen touchdowns were thrown. Ten interceptions, too.
He moves forward in a quarterback room featuring veteran backup Joshua Dobbs and undrafted free agent Ben Wooldridge.
'We don't need to run over every player on defense, nor should we try,' head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters during his Wednesday press conference when asked about signal-callers stressing defenses with their legs. 'It's critical that those plays are available to us, and we do a good job of picking and choosing the appropriate time. And then, when they do have the football in their hands, they have to, one, be able to secure it and be able to protect themselves and use the rules to their advantage.
'Being able to give themselves up is something that's critical, and I get that a lot of these young players, they feel like they're fearless, and that's great. But we just have to make sure that we're making great decisions.'
Playing fearless while also playing for another down, Maye understands that 17 games are needed.
'I think that's important,' the 22-year-old Pro Bowl alternate said. 'I faced that in college my first year. I was really kind of running around, doing some stuff I probably shouldn't have out there with pads on. I think just taking care of my body and being smart, knowing when it's third down or near the end zone. Like, I'm 6-5, 230 pounds, go get something.'
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