As for Maye’s three drop-backs, his first career preseason pass attempt was a screen pass to running back Antonio Gibson on a successful third-and-12 play. Maye threw the ball with good zip on a deep curl off under-center play-action to WR Jalen Reagor, but Reagor couldn’t handle the high heat as the ball went through his hands. Then, Maye quickly dumped a ball into the flat to RB Kevin Harris against a third-down pressure that came up short of the sticks.

Overall, it was a letdown that Maye didn’t play much. Eventually, the coaching staff needs to give him a real chance to show what he can do against NFL competition. It’s time. He has earned it in practice to at least get a chance to showcase himself with the starters.

New England has a joint practice scheduled with the Eagles on Tuesday, followed by their second preseason game against Philly next Thursday night. Let’s see what the week brings for Maye. My guess is he’ll play a lot more over the next two weeks.

3. QB Jacoby Brissett Starts the Game and Plays One Drive in Preseason Opener

The Patriots current starting quarterback made a very brief appearance in New England’s preseason opener. On a four-play drive, Brissett threw three consecutive incompletions.

After a smooth 11-yard run by Rhamondre Stevenson, Brissett missed throws to a crossing Mitchell Wilcox and a streaking Tyquan Thornton, who had separation on a go route. In Brissett’s defense, he started on the opposite side of the field from Thornton before seeing the speedy wideout late in the down. If he had started on Thornton, he could’ve put more on the throw, but the end result was still an under-thrown pass.

Let’s not make a huge deal about one throw in a preseason game. It was also encouraging to see Thornton create vertical separation off the line with a good release. Still, Brissett didn’t quite have enough power on the all-arm throw without the benefit of stepping into the deep ball.

4. Rookie QB Joe Milton Flashes Physical Tools in Second-Half Action

When there’s a quarterback with exceptional physical tools in camp, there’s bound to be buzz about the 6-5, 235-pound quarterback with a rocket arm and college production in the SEC.

There will be some who won’t love the attention that Milton is getting while the third-overall pick plays six snaps and then watches the sixth-rounder’s late-game showcase. However, let’s keep Milton’s success in perspective. Like last year’s preseason darling Malik Cunningham, Milton’s two scoring drives came against defenders battling to make NFL rosters.

Milton is a much better pure passer than Cunningham was. Still, the play script he’s running and the level of competition is in the same ballpark as last season’s preseason opener vs. the Texans, where Cunningham impressed. Again, this is way more real with Milton than with Cunningham, but let’s not stir the pot too much.

To his credit, Milton has improved his base from his Tennessee days to be more balanced as a thrower. As a result, his accuracy and timing are improving, and he looks poised in the pocket to manipulate and read out coverage. You can see how the six years in college benefited him.