FOXBOROUGH - Drake Maye was spotted back at Patriots practice on Thursday as the rookie quarterback continues to progress through the NFL's concussion protocols.

Maye left last Sunday's game against the Jets early in the second quarter and entered the week with his gameday status against Tennessee up in the air. But now, with just one practice and two days remaining before Sunday, it seems uncertain whether the rookie or the veteran Jacoby Brissett will be under center.

"It's nothing that we're not used to," said offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. "We're used to next man up mentality. So we've got to go in little open minded as far as putting the plan together."

Van Pelt pointed out that gameplans are tailored to the starter, using the example of one quarterback's favorite third down plays might not be the other quarterback's favorite. With plenty of time still to prepare it will be a balancing act for Van Pelt and the Patriots coaches, but no matter who starts, the team has confidence in the player.

"Jacoby was awesome," said Van Pelt of Brissett's relief performance against the Jets that helped lead the Pats to their second victory of the season. "I thought he did a great job stepping in, made some huge plays down the stretch with his legs and his arm. Got us into some great audibles at the line of scrimmage versus pressure looks. So, really proud of the way he stepped up like any other time."

Maye played just a little over a quarter against the Jets, but Van Pelt said he continues to get better every time he takes the field.

"[Drake]'s just getting better every week," said Van Pelt. "Decision making is exceptional. He knows where to go with the football, some of the stuff he doesn't practice, understanding where he's going to be hot and how to handle some of the pressure issues. That gets better every week, the throws down the field in practice, the accuracy that he shows down the field on some of the deeper balls. That's been there, continues to be there. So again, just the maturation of a young quarterback, just finding something to get better at every week."

Aside from the quarterbacks there are other big questions facing the Patriots. The offensive line might have finally found the continuity they've been desperate for with left tackle Vederian Lowe returning to practice on Thursday after popping up on Wednesday's Injury Report with both ankle and shoulder issues.

Lowe said his group was eager to prove the critics wrong.

"I would say I have a good feeling about the offensive line going forward," said Lowe on Thursday before heading out to practice. "Just to start the year, and everybody has something to say about our unit, but we've always known what we've had in the room, and, you know, we're just going to get the chance every Sunday to go out there and put that on display."

The wide receivers are facing their own questions this week after drops marred the early part of the Jets game. Kayshon Boutte led the way in the second half with a turnaround effort that was critical to the win and Van Pelt was confident that the whole position group would learn and grow from the early issues with catching the ball.

"They're disappointed," said Van Pelt of the receiver room. "You know, there's no question that's a group that we expect more out of, just handling the football is the biggest thing. Drops come in bunches, catches come in bunches. My message to them was to keep working. You're lifelong receivers, you catch the ball for a living, so it's nothing new to you guys. So just focus on the next rep. Focus on how I can get better during the week of practice. Ultimately, we're going to throw the ball to those guys. They're going to make plays for us moving forward."

Maybe Maye plays. Maybe the line gets its second-straight game with the same starting lineup. And maybe the receivers start to make the plays that have eluded them in some key spots over the last few weeks. Van Pelt remains confident the arrow continues to point upward for the entire offensive unit.

"I think that as a team, and as a group, we're getting better," said Van Pelt. "And that's what we talked about early in the season. How do we get better, play our best football as a season progresses, not take steps back and I think we've been moving forward. So I'm really happy with our progress, and I mean, it's not where we need to be by any stretch, but I think we're playing some better football than we have earlier in the season."

Jennings Emerging in Full Time Role

Following the trade of Joshua Uche, Anfernee Jennings saw his role on defense rise to an every-down level. Always a stout edge-setter, Jennings is now being asked to play more on third down as he continues to round out his game as a pass rusher.

"[Anfernee] was getting off the ball really well," said outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins. "He runs really good games, and I think he's got good chemistry with all these guys that he's played with for a while to run those games. They have a lot of trust in him, and he keeps the edge. That's something that's really valuable to us, particularly looking forward to Tennessee this week, really both quarterbacks can get out of the pocket."

Jennings leads the team nine run stuffs according Next Gen Stats and is credited with the second-most stops (18) by PFF. For two years in a row he's been among the most steady edge setters in the league and Wilkins said there's plenty of reasons to believe Jennings can make a bigger impact on passing downs.

"A lot of it is physical, but then there's also a big mental piece as well, and it's studying the tackles around the league and how they set, how they're taught to set," said Wilkins of how pass rushers can develop. "Maybe they have some individual quirks on how they are going to be able to block a different pass rusher that's in this alignment versus that one. And I think that's a piece where he's really taking the leap, is studying these guys and understanding not all offensive tackles are built the same."

Wilkins added there's no straight lines when it comes to development as a defensive player where two specific sets of skills are so vital to becoming an all-around contributor.

"That's the great challenge as a coach, particularly a position coach, is not putting guys in a box and saying, like, 'Hey, if this guy is definitely stronger at this than that, and that's where his playtime will reflect that,' but you never write anybody off," said Wilkins. "And I've seen guys, particularly talking about the development of a pass rusher, that's not always a linear thing,... You look at guys around the league, it's not always the same guys that come in hot that stay hot. Some guys are run players, role players early and then figure out the pass rush as they go, or vice versa, figure out how to set the edge as they go."

Now, Jennings along with Keion White and newly promoted Ochaun Mathis are the go-to guys on the edge and it will be imperative that the group continues to develop. Their pass rush will be vital to the success of the defense and they should get plenty of game reps over the last nine games to build from.

"Those guys have really attacked the opportunity in front of them and really made the most of those opportunities," said Wilkins. "And really, they're guys that we trust and guys that are really doing things the right way, that are earning those roles amongst everybody on our roster. So for those guys to be out there, being able to step up their game and really contribute, contribute on all downs for us is huge, and that's really what we're about."

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