Before the Patriots took the practice field on an overcast day at Gillette Stadium, executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf held a press conference with reporters on Sunday.
As the team's personnel chief, it's common for executives in Wolf's position to speak to reporters semi-regularly. With training camp winding down, we are nine days away from the roster cutdown to 53 players (Aug. 27). New England also recently traded Pro Bowl edge rusher Matthew Judon to Atlanta for a 2025 third-round draft choice, so there was plenty to discuss.
Wolf made a brief opening statement, acknowledging the busy week ahead for the organization. The Pats will travel for Sunday's preseason finale vs. Washington this weekend, the first road trip under head coach Jerod Mayo, then roster cuts will begin shortly after New England plays the Commanders in the NFL's final preseason contest.
"Through two preseason games, we're excited about where we are as a team. We have a lot of work to do. This is a big week for us just kind of operationally being on the road, night game. Roster cuts are Tuesday, and we play the last game of any team, so we're cognizant of that," Wolf said. "It's going to be a challenge for us, but we're excited about it."
It's an interesting point by Wolf. New England is in the No. 3 spot for waiver claims, with the current order being the same as last year's NFL Draft. Between playing a late game to conclude the final preseason week, where injuries and in-house roster decisions will come down to the wire, the Pats front office also will be monitoring the other 31 teams.
There's a possibility that teams with deep rosters in certain positions could waive players that would be of interest to the Patriots. For example, let's say a team well-stocked at offensive tackle waives a useful player to New England. Then, Wolf's staff could put in a waiver claim on said player and only risk losing out on the player to Chicago and Washington. Those players are cut for a reason, but NFL-caliber talent will be placed on waivers next week. It's something worth monitoring over the next week.
Without further ado, here are four takeaways from Wolf's press conference on Sunday morning:
1. Wolf on the State of the Offensive Line and Vederian Lowe's Ascension to Starting Left Tackle
Besides the starting quarterback competition, the biggest personnel-related storyline is the current state of the offensive line, which goes hand-in-hand with the quarterback.
After an impressive showing in his first extended preseason action, third-overall pick Drake Maye has begun pushing veteran Jacoby Brissett for the starting job. However, as much as you want to see the best players play, there's some trepidation about putting Maye behind what could be a shaky offensive line. In particular, last Tuesday's joint practice with the Eagles saw an excellent Philly front control the line of scrimmage.
Following the preseason opener, where Maye somewhat surprisingly only played six snaps, head coach Jerod Mayo acknowledged that New England's second-string offensive line's inconsistent camp played a role in Maye playing so little. Mayo also admitted to a "dramatic drop-off" in grasping the blocking schemes for the second unit compared to the top group.
Maye would obviously play with the top offensive line when he becomes the starter, which is a matter of when, not if, this season. Still, Wolf said the team is still tinkering with different combinations along the offensive line, which has major question marks, especially at offensive tackle. Until the situation settles down, the team might prefer to hold off on playing Maye.
"We're just trying to find the right combination. We feel confident in all these players, and we're just working to find the best group rather than the best five individuals," said Wolf.
Wolf was then asked a follow-up question about the current free-agent market for offensive linemen, which includes former starting tackles such as Donovan Smith, D.J. Humphries, and David Bakhtiari. All three aren't perfect options based on age, injury history, and recent performance. However, they are more experienced and were once high-end starters.
Although he noted that the Patriots are always looking to improve the roster, Wolf didn't sound as alarmed by the offensive line as those outside the building.
"We're pretty comfortable with our group right now. Obviously, we're going to look to upgrade on the offensive line or at any position if we feel like we can. But I think we gave up one sack the other night. Again, it was Philly's twos, but it was an improvement to the practice on Tuesday."
According to NextGen Stats, the Patriots allowed a 37.1 pressure rate along with the one sack, which was surrendered by current starting left tackle Vederian Lowe. For comparison, the league-average pressure rate in the second week of the preseason was 31.4%. Although it was better than the joint practice, it still was on the higher end of the spectrum.
Wolf was asked if the team viewed Lowe as a potential starter before camp began or if this has been a new development. Lowe has been the top left tackle for the majority of the padded portion of the summer and started both preseason games with the top offense, allowing a sack, QB hit, and a hurry in 32 pass-blocking snaps.
"Vederian's done a really nice job. He's steadily improved. We said it last year, if he could just learn that he has really good length to get his hands out, then he would have a chance to ascend to that starter level. He's really started to do that this year, and it's been impressive to watch him progress," Wolf said.
Speaking after practice, Lowe credited offensive line coach Scott Peters for unlocking his length to be a more effective pass-blocker. As a former sixth-round pick, Lowe has 35 ⅜-inch arms, which puts him in the 88th percentile for offensive tackles. Lowe's length and foot quickness are there, but he needs to be more consistent. Lowe sometimes loses his technique, leading to quick pressures and falling off blocks.
On the other side, the Patriots have mostly leaned on veteran Chuks Okorafor at right tackle. However, we've seen more of third-rounder Caedan Wallace and even standout OL Mike Onwenu at right tackle recently, so that's also a work in progress.
Although it's good to hear that Wolf is optimistic about the offensive line, the tackle situation remains a potential issue for the Patriots offense.
2. QB Drake Maye has 'Steadily Improved' in Rookie Training Camp
As mentioned, a positive development for the Patriots is that third-overall pick Drake Maye is rapidly improving after a strong showing last Thursday night.
The traits that made Maye an enticing prospect at the top of the 2024 NFL Draft were on full display vs. the Eagles last week: arm talent, mobility in and out of the pocket, and general instincts for the position to read the field and play with poise in the pocket. In the last two practice sessions, you can see Maye's confidence growing in the system.
Although their first day back was a light, non-padded session, Maye came out of last Thursday night's preseason game with more swagger – you could see it. Then, he was the better quarterback in Sunday's padded practice, albeit still playing with the twos behind Brissett.
Maye's group scored three touchdowns in five tries during red zone 7-on-7 work, compared to Brissett failing on all five of his attempts. Then, in full team drills, he hit WR K.J. Osborn on a pretty downfield connection. Osborn ran a corner route against CB Marcus Jones, and Maye put it up for Osborn to make the play along the sideline. On the other hand, Brissett struggled with his timing and accuracy, which is becoming a theme for the veteran quarterback.
"It was good to see [Maye] get in there the other night. It was really good to see how calm and collected he was," Wolf said about his rookie quarterback. "He's steadily improved. He's put his head down and worked. He's a great teammate, and we're excited to see where his development can go."
On when Wolf could envision Maye taking over as the starter, the Patriots EVP of Player Personnel said, "We'll have to see. He didn't get a lot of snaps in the first game. He did pretty well in his snaps the other night. It's all about building on those successes and seeing where it goes."
From this perspective, it's not an actual competition until Maye receives live reps with the starting offense. However, objectively speaking, Maye has recently looked like a more confident passer and dynamic playmaker than Brissett. While the rookie's arrow is pointing upward, Brissett is on a downward trend, which also has to factor into the decision.
Ultimately, the Patriots need to be mindful of the situation they're dropping their 21-year-old quarterback into in his rookie year. Again, it would be great if they could play the best guy. But there are other factors, with the line being the key sticking point. Wolf made that exact point when asked about Texans QB C.J. Stroud's rookie success last season.
"C.J. Stroud was the anomaly in that regard. Again, it's not about one person or one player. It's about where the offense is, where Jacoby is, and where the team is. We're just focused on that," Wolf explained.
3. Wolf's Thoughts on the Patriots Trading Star Pass-Rusher Matthew Judon to Atlanta
The Patriots ended a long contract dispute with the four-time Pro Bowler by trading the fan and locker room favorite to the Falcons for a 2025 third-round draft selection.
The decision to trade Judon was about prioritizing the future over winning in the present, as the 32-year-old was the team's best player and most disruptive defender. Although he lived up to his lucrative four-year contract, Judon is getting up there in age and is coming off a season-ending biceps injury, only appearing in four games in the 2023 season.
There's zero doubt that trading Judon makes the Patriots roster worse this season, but Wolf stated that the difficult decision was about balancing the present and the future.
"We have to weigh now, the future, what's best for the team, what's best for the player, and it was something that we just felt organizationally, and for Matthew, it was probably the best for both parties," Wolf told reporters on Sunday.
It makes sense for a rebuilding team to prioritize adding draft capital over committing more money to a great player but one who is aging. The question was whether Judon would be on the next great Patriots team? At his age and given where the team is, the answer to that question felt like a "no" to this scribe. Therefore, adding another top-100 draft selection to Wolf's war chest next offseason makes sense, even if it made the team worse in the short term.
New England will now lean on edge rushers Joshua Uche and Oshane Ximines in larger pass-rush roles, while linebacker Anfernee Jennings will continue to set the edge against the run. The Pats will also have second-year DE Keion White to disrupt the quarterback, but White is more of an interior rusher than an outside rusher like Judon.
The combination of that group of players with schemed-up pressure by Mayo and DC DeMarcus Covington is how the Patriots plan on replacing Judon's production.
4. Wolf Comments About Patriots Pursuit of 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk
Lastly, Wolf acknowledged that the Patriots were in the running for 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk. According to reports, Aiyuk nixed a trade to the Pats due to the uncertainty with their offense, despite the team reportedly offering a lucrative contract to the star wideout.
"Just kind of a feel," Wolf said when asked why the team backed out of trade talks for Aiyuk. "It was sort of a situation where he's still in San Francisco, and that hasn't been worked out from their standpoint yet. But we just felt, organizationally, our young receivers have had a really good week, and they're continuing to progress, so we're excited about those guys."
Wolf said the door is fully closed "at this point" when it comes to the Patriots trading for Aiyuk.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
