Perry: What to know about Drake Maye’s knee injury amid reports originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
If you believe Drake Maye can be the future face of the New England Patriots’ franchise, you probably didn’t enjoy seeing Wednesday’s injury report.
The rookie quarterback popped up on the injury report with a knee injury, and while he was a full participant in practice, The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin reported that Maye got an MRI later that day, causing further consternation about Maye’s health.
The good news? The Patriots don’t view Maye’s knee injury as serious, according to our Patriots Insider Phil Perry. Perry joined Boston Sports Tonight to detail what he’s hearing from the team about the No. 3 overall pick.
“I’ve spoken to multiple people in the organization about this tonight and what I’ve been told is that they are not concerned about this knee injury to Drake Maye,” Perry said, as seen in the video player above. “He was a full participant in practice (Wednesday). We’ll be out there (Thursday) and be able to watch him closely, see how he’s moving through warmups, through individual drills, et cetera, et cetera.”
Perry wasn’t told whether or not Maye received an MRI but confirmed the QB is expected to play in Week 7 against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
“What I can tell you is they’re not concerned, that he is still expected to be playing this coming weekend out in London, and again, we’ll see what practice looks like (Thursday),” Perry said. “I know Jerod Mayo has talked about transparency at the podium, but it feels like they’re closing ranks on this one to a degree.”
Maye showed real promise in his first NFL start last Sunday, completing 20 of 33 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns while adding a team-high 38 rushing yards on five carries. He also committed three turnovers, however (two interceptions and a fumble) and took four sacks while being hit eight times in a 41-21 loss to the Houston Texans.
Perry speculated that Maye’s injury may not have happened in Sunday’s game, but noted that protecting the rookie QB has be the Patriots’ top priority given his potential.
“I’m not sure it happened in the game, to be quite honest with you,” Perry said. “This is something that could have happened at practice. It’s always going to be a concern: How do you protect him moving forward? He is the crown jewel of the franchise, so this has to be something that a lot of resources are devoted to right now.
“I’d be looking at (offensive coordinator) Alex Van Pelt; I’d be looking at Jerod Mayo and I’d be asking them, ‘How are you scheming things up to protect this player better than he was protected last week?’ Because you can’t survive that way.”
Maye’s talent is obvious, but he’s playing behind one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines that’s been a revolving door due to injuries and inconsistency. Even if his knee injury isn’t serious, it’s a reminder of how important it is for New England to keep its QB of the future upright and healthy.
Kickoff for Patriots-Jaguars is set for 9:30 a.m. ET on Sunday at London’s Wembley Stadium.
