Drake Maye is set to start for the New England Patriots for the first time this weekend with the team moving to bench Jacoby Brissett after a disappointing four-game losing streak.
The veteran quarterback has thrown just two touchdowns in five games while ranking among the bottom two teams in every offensive metric with the third overall pick set to get his chance .
Undoubtedly seen as the quarterback of the future, many had hoped to see Maye start from the first game of the season, as fellow rookies Caleb Williams , Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix had with their respective teams. Meanwhile, others had agreed that benching Maye feels like the smart play - with New England having a struggling offensive line while lacking a premiere pass-catcher and potentially seeing the rookie put in a difficult position.
But no matter the situation, Maye will have to be ready for his start with him set to face a tough defense in the Houston Texans , as former NFL defensive back, turned analyst, Jason Bell has explained why it's the correct decision.
Speaking exclusively to the Mirror U.S. Sports , he said: "Drake Maye has got to play. I think this was their whole plan, to get through the first quarter of the season when they had to play against some difficult defenses and let Maye ease into it so he's comfortable to take over.
"Their offense has struggled and their offensive line has really struggled in protection, but Maye has been given time to adapt to what it is to be an NFL quarterback. They drafted him with the third overall pick in this class, he has to get on to the field and get those reps in. This is the point in the season that he needs to play."
While many Patriots fans look forward to seeing Maye take over in the hopes of saving their season, others worry that they could be throwing him into a situation where he could build up bad tendencies - as seen with Bryce Young with the Carolina Panthers .
Playing behind an offensive line that has struggled to protect the quarterback, Maye will be up against it if he is to be able to orchestrate a consistent offense - while doing so in his rookie season.
A number of quarterbacks, such as Tom Brady , Aaron Rodgers , Patrick Mahomes , and most recently, Jordan Love , have benefitted from being a backup for a year before thriving once in the best place to do so.
Bell acknowledges that the Patriots are not best placed to work towards getting the best of Maye, but feels that they need to get him on the right path - while making the most of having a quarterback on a rookie-scale contract in the hopes of building a Super Bowl team.
He said: "Yes, it's going to be hard. It's going to be rocky. But we understand the way teams are built with the salary cap that if you have a young player, a young quarterback, and he can go out there and be successful for you, it allows you to do a lot on your team with the rest of your money.
"He's got to get out there and play, because, ultimately, he can't get better just watching. He's got to take his lumps. But it's the best time and the expectations aren't too high on the Patriots as an organization."
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