Hard not to let myself get overly excited about Drake Maye just purely from a fan perspective, my hopes are sky high. What's a realistic expectation of what we should see out of Maye in training camp? – Keith Hart

All players are different and there is no set level of expectation that works for everyone, but I would expect to see steady improvement from Maye each day during camp. If we see some mistakes early on it would be a very positive sign to see those mistakes corrected in future practices to the point where they are all but eliminated by the time camp closes. Again, all players are different so it's hard to compare but one of the things that always bothered me about Mac Jones was that he tended to repeat similar mistakes throughout his three seasons. One example would be his propensity for throwing the ball back across the field and putting it in harm's way consistently. He did that as a rookie during camp and he was still doing it last season, notably in Dallas when he threw a pick-six on one such attempt. For Maye, just learn from mistakes, show improvement and be prepared to play. That would be my baseline expectation.

Why do teams, including this year's Patriots, elect to draft a right tackle and hope to convert them to a left tackle? I know the short answer is possibly versatility along the line, but wouldn't it be more beneficial to draft a versatile left tackle? Thanks for these weekly Q&As. I read them every week. – Matt Kirkwood

Thanks for reading every week and taking the time to ask questions Matt. And this is a good question and one I've honestly asked myself this offseason based off what the Patriots have done at the position. I don't think the plan was to target right tackles with the idea of switching sides necessarily, but it's worked out that way with both third-round pick Caeden Wallace and free agent addition Chuks Okorafor. Both have played almost exclusively on the right side and Eliot Wolf has talked about them making the switch. This is not the ideal situation to be sure, but I think it was borne out of necessity and not due to any plan to create versatility. As of now the Patriots don't have any obvious candidate to play left tackle and my feeling is the coaches believe Okorafor and Wallace are the best options. We'll see if that changes during training camp when it opens this week, but for now it's a situation where they likely feel those two are the best tackles and are hoping at least one can make the transition. But I don't think teams consistently look at right tackles in college and believe they can move to the left. Some obviously can do it and I'm sure there are physical traits the scouts and coaches see that lead them to believe it's possible, but few would willingly opt for a right tackle with the intention of playing him on the left side by design.

I have seen little, if any, mention of Marcus Jones in discussions of the team's future. Sure, he may not project to be as high impact of other young guys like Christian Gonzalez or Keion White; however, he certainly performed well enough as a rookie and last year (before an equally ignored injury) that he looks primed to carry on Jonathan Jones' legacy in the slot and serve as a gadget player on offense. Am I just misremembering the quality of his play and there's good reason to think he's not worth a mention? – Mike A.

I think Marcus Jones has been mentioned plenty during the offseason, but I would say mostly as a returner and potential piece on offense more so than as a huge part of the secondary. During his short career with the Patriots thus far he hasn't really established himself as a regular in the secondary, although he was injured in just the second game of the season last year and didn't really get a chance to do so. In practices that we've had the chance to watch he tends to struggle in coverage, often chasing from behind on crossing routes in particular. With some added experience perhaps he'll be in a better position this season to contribute more in the secondary than he has thus far. In terms of his explosiveness as a return man, he's off the charts. His ability on both kicks and punts should help boost the offense, especially on punts where he is as dangerous as anyone in the league. Jones definitely has the potential to be an impact player with his athleticism and if he can stay healthy this will be an important season for him.

With the latest news to come out about offering a second-round pick and being turned down is it possible that we drafted Ja'Lynn Polk for a Brandon Aiyuk role? And focus on getting Tee Higgins? – Jared Leeper

I don't think Polk and Aiyuk are all that similar as receivers. Polk is considered more of an inside receiver who thrives with his physicality and ability to fight for the ball. Aiyuk is certainly physical and considered a strong blocker, but he also has the speed to get deep and make big plays. Either way, I don't believe the Patriots would be content with Polk instead of Aiyuk and if they had the opportunity to grab the veteran from San Francisco even now they'd likely do it. But that doesn't appear to be in the cards, and Higgins is likely staying put in Cincinnati as well. I like both Higgins and Aiyuk. Although I feel the latter is a better player, Higgins is solid and a bit underrated due to being overlooked on the opposite side of JaMarr Chase. Higgins enjoyed a strong rookie season before Chase arrived so he's capable of making plays on his own. If both become free agents during the offseason I feel the Patriots should be interested in signing either one.

In another month or so we will be hitting the roster cut down period. I have a question about the terms used when a player is let go. Sometimes you read that a player is waived, sometimes they say a player is released while still other times they just say the player is cut. What is the difference in these terms/methods for removing a player from your roster, if any. What are the reasons/benefits/results of each method to the team as well as the players. Always been curious about the different terms used. Thanks for all the great coverage of everything Pats. – Pete Clement

There are actually two terms used for these transactions for when a team decides to cut a player – waived and released. Both mean the same thing – the player is cut. When a player has less than four accrued NFL seasons and is let go, he is waived. If he has four or more accrued seasons, then he is considered a vested veteran and is therefore released. The difference for the players involved is prior to the trading deadline a player who is waived technically does not have his contract terminated and is subject to the waiver process and available to every team at that contract. If no team submits a claim, then that player becomes a free agent. A player who is released does have his contract terminated and immediately becomes a free agent and is available to sign a new deal anywhere. After the trade deadline, however, all players are subject to waivers regardless of experience.

Everyone is concerned about the offensive line's ability to pass block. What is the outlook on the running attack and early on isn't that more important in order to create favorable down and distance situations? That is critical if we want Drake Maye to play sooner than later. – Kent Drake

Both are quite important but in today's NFL it's more important to have quality pass protection because it's more of a passing league. Running the ball might help an offense stay out of long-yardage situations and therefore potentially help the line in protecting the passer but eventually offenses will find themselves in obvious passing spots and the need to protect becomes vital. As for the outlook up front, at this point it would have to be considered a huge question mark. The Patriots do not have any obvious answers at tackle on either side and there are some injury concerns with Cole Strange at left guard as well. So, projecting how the run or pass blocking will look during the season is difficult, but based on all the uncertainty it's not an area that inspires a tremendous amount of confidence.

True that luck plays a big part in the draft. It's assumed that teams have more control than they actually do. It seemed like the board did not quite fall the Patriots way and they didn't/couldn't trade up for a late-first wide receiver and a late-second tackle. Do you agree, and if so, do you think they did the right thing drafting Ja'Lynn Polk and Caeden Wallace as opposed to going in some different direction? – Pat Phan

I'm not sure what you are asking me to agree with. The Patriots did not trade back up into the end of the first round so obviously I agree with that. Could they have made a trade? Absolutely they could have, and by many accounts (including information we received at the time) they tried to do just that but didn't. I don't agree that they couldn't have made a deal; I would say based on the talks they had they chose not to. Personally, I would have targeted a tackle earlier in the draft and been interested in moving up to get one rather than trying to get a receiver. I felt there was more depth at wideout than tackle, and therefore they could have potentially drafted a better option at left tackle and still gotten a quality option at receiver later on. I like the two players they selected in Polk and Wallace and we'll see how it plays out.

Am I crazy or do you also believe the Patriots need to invest in another free agent "proven" running back? The depth behind Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson seems slim to say the least. With Drake Maye developing or Jacoby Brissett bridging the gap the running game seems more important than ever. – Richard Jones

I would agree the Patriots could use more depth at running back and there are actually a few still available that might make some sense. Latavius Murray, as an example, could be an option behind Stevenson and Gibson. This is Year 3 for Kevin Harris so I would expect him to get every opportunity to prove he's worth a roster spot and can contribute. If he fails, then I'd expect Wolf to look at one of these veterans for some help. Beyond Harris, JaMycal Hasty looks like a guy who can catch some passes out of the backfield and provide some depth. Otherwise, it's a pair of undrafted rookies in Deshaun Fenwick and Terrell Jennings rounding out the depth chart. I agree with you … that seems awfully thin to me at a position they are expected to lean on heavily.

Evan - we have a GM who's never been one and whose draft was at most uninspiring and at worst incompetent. We needed an offensive line and wide receivers and either reached (draft) or failed (free agency) at both. We have an offensive coordinator who has never been one and who wasn't retained at a lower level by his former team. We have a defensive coordinator who not only has never been one but who has never even called a game. Finally, we have a head coach who not only has never been one at any level, not to mention the fact that he was anointed rather than winning the job, and who daily announces his inexperience with quotes about just learning now that players have different ideas about their value compared to the market, or that he never realized that being a head coach included much more than coaching. I find it hard to believe that anyone would argue that at the very highest level of competition in any professional field that superior management isn't at least a co-dependent requirement of success. What on earth makes you think this season and the next won't be an embarrassing disaster? – Steve B.

I know this was directed at Evan but it's my week for the mailbag so I'm up. I'm not sure exactly what the question is or what specifically your argument with Evan is all about. I know we've done radio shows twice a week, every week throughout the offseason and we honestly haven't tried to paint an overly rosy picture of how we see things unfolding this season. (I'll leave 2025 out of this discussion until I see what moves the team makes next offseason). Most of what you said is entirely fact based. There's very little experience on the coaching staff in terms of doing the actually jobs they've been hired to do. The one exception in your post is Alex Van Pelt has been an offensive coordinator in the past; he just hasn't called plays in that role. I don't share your belief that the draft was uninspiring for the very fact that Drake Maye represents hope for the future. If he doesn't pan out, then we'll be singing a different tune. But in terms of skill set and potential, Maye has everything you're looking for and it's unfair to suggest he's an "uninspired" pick before he even takes a snap. But overall, like I said, I agree with most of your assessments. There was very little done to actually improve the team in the offseason outside of the draft. Many of the re-signings were solid moves, but not ones that improved the team's overall talent level. But I also don't just assume that because coaches are new that they aren't capable of doing the job. I'm not expecting a meteoric rise this season to be sure, but I'm also expecting some hope and improvement and until I see otherwise, I'll maintain that posture heading into the season.

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