Patriots QB Drake Maye took next step toward becoming the team's starter on Wednesday

Throughout the offseason, the New England Patriots have been working under the presumption that Jacoby Brissett is going to be the team's starting quarterback in their Week 1 game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium.

In every training camp session, Brissett got the teams reps with the starting offensive line, and he was the first quarterback to play in New England's first two preseason games.

However, something switched on Wednesday, as third-overall pick Drake Maye got his first reps with the top offense during team periods in a fully-padded practice. While the number of reps was limited, this was an important step in the rookie's development.

The Patriots have just a few practices left and one preseason game before roster cuts and the start of the regular season, so there's not a lot of time left for Maye to rip the starting job from Brissett.

At the same time, the veteran hasn't been overly impressive in his opportunities either, so it's not out of the realm of possibility.

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