Patriots confirm suspicion about Drake Maye and the first preseason game against the Panthers

The first preseason game is finally here.

The New England Patriots will host the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night, and there are so many questions that need to be answered either before or during the game.

And the biggest one surrounds the four quarterbacks that the team has on the roster. Mainly, will Drake Maye play?

"Drake will play. Drake will play, and when he gets in the game, we'll talk about that, but he will play in the game," Mayo told reporters prior to Tuesday's practice. "Look, everyone who is healthy enough to play in the game will play in the game. That's more than you’ve ever gotten before."

As for the other three quarterbacks, Mayo expects them all to get some time on the field.

"So, as of today, that's the plan, to have all of those guys out there playing. Once again, it goes back to competing. So, yesterday, you guys saw the live tackling period and things like that, that I think is very important," he added. "You don't want the first time these guys have to get hit or hit someone else to be in the preseason game. So, we’ve got to see what these guys can do with live action."

Mayo also simply stated who he intends to have start on Thursday.

The answer: Jacoby Brissett.

"That's the plan. Once again, look, I'm telling you guys this today," Mayo said. "I mean, it could change as the week continues to progress, but that is the plan.

Throughout the entire preseason, Mayo has made it clear that Brissett is the top quarterback on the depth chart at the moment. And based on how training camp has gone, it's pretty clear that Maye is behind him.

That third spot is a tight competition between Bailey Zappe and rookie Joe Milton III. So these preseason games will be crucial in deciding that third spot.

And it will also give fans their first true glimpse of Maye in action. He has made some impressive plays in practice, but it still doesn't truly show what he's capable of. That comes when he is going against an opposing team's defense.

As for the Panthers, they announced that quarterback Bryce Young will not play .

This will be a fun set of games in the preseason and will give us a big look into the quarterback competition. So let's see what happens.