Rookie QB Drake Maye has busy day and other observations from Thursday's practice at Gillette Stadium

FOXBOROUGH, Mass - After a day off the New England Patriots were back out on the practice field to prepare for their final preseason game against the Washington Commanders.

So here are the main takeaways from Tuesday:

1. Drake Maye goes up while Jacoby Brissett goes down

During an 11-on-11 period at Patriots practice, Drake Maye took reps with the starting offensive line for the first time. While it wasn't many snaps, it was enough for it to be notable.

Especially considering during these practices it's always Jacoby Brissett who gets that opportunity.

Out of the two quarterback's, Maye looked sharper finishing the day going 13-for-17 in team drills. Specifically, he went 7-for-8 in 7-on-7.

As for Brissett, he struggled and threw a interception to rookie cornerback Marcellas Dial and then one that should have been a pick to safety A.J. Thomas who dropped it. Brissett finished going 8-for-11.

Due to Maye's impressive play over the last week, he is making a run to earn the starting quarterback spot. Mayo made it clear that it currently belongs to Brissett, but they haven't made an official decision.

2. Kicking Competition takes a serious turn

Chad Ryland put together one of his worst days of the summer. The second-year kicker finished practice missing three out of the four field goals.

Ryland missed from 41, 47, and 50, but made the one from 33.

As for veteran Joey Slye, he made all four.

Ryland is 36-for-47, while Slye is 40-for-48 across the 18 practices this summer, per 98.5 The Sports Hub's Alex Barth .

3. Vederian Lowe leaves practice

While Mayo continuously claims that there is no official starting offensive line, there have been five players who consistently take the field first each and every day.

However, one of those players left practice early on Wednesday with an apparent injury.

Lowe walked off with trainers and didn't return. Rookie Caedan Wallace took his spot.

Here is the top offensive line throughout practice: LT Vederian Lowe/Caedan Wallace, LG Sidy Sow, C David Andrews, RG Mike Onwenu, RT Chukwuma Okorafor

4. New No. 9 in New England

The iconic red sleeves were missing from practice despite their being a player coming out in the No. 9 jersey.

The Patriots claimed receiver Matt Landers off waivers on Tuesday, adding a 6-foot-4, 200-pound after placing WR JaQuae Jackson on injured reserve.

This comes after the Patriots traded Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons.

5. Cutdown Day is Near

Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf will be busy over the next week.

The team has to get the active roster down to 53 players from the 90 they are allowed to carry during the preseason.

And they already started, releasing defensive tackle Mike Purcell after practice on Tuesday.

He was brought in after star Christian Barmore was diagnosed with blood-clots. But in his absence, Davon Godchaux, Jeremiah Pharms, Daniel Ekuale, Trysten Hill have all stepped up.