Jerod Mayo finally admits what Patriots fans have been saying about Drake Maye

Throughout the offseason, as early as free agency, there were many concerns regarding the Patriots' roster, mainly on offense. Although it was obvious they would draft a quarterback with the third overall pick, which certainly settled a significant hole on the team, there were a lot more positions that were far too weak to sustain the tough 2024 schedule.

The new regime's decision to prioritize re-signings of its own pending free agents was a good move, but it was not widely considered so. However, keeping their best offensive lineman around for more years was the right thing to do for the most questionable unit on the offense.

That inevitably led to double dipping of linemen in the draft, with the selections of Caedan Wallace and Layden Robinson, neither of which were left tackles to fill the hole left by Trent Brown.

Because of their limited options to boost their roster, the o-line remained one of the most concerning parts of the team throughout training camp and preseason. It prompted many to decide Drake Maye shouldn't be the starter from day one, or at the very least, not start until later in the season in fear of how inadequate the protection from the linemen would be.

They were valid concerns, but the Patriots staff did not agree and frustrated fans and reporters with their insistence that the group was solid enough to get them through the season. That has recently changed, apparently, as Mayo seemed to finally echo what fans have been saying when discussing the plan for Maye to take over under center this year.

Jerod Mayo seems to confirm suspicions about why Drake Maye didn't start sooner

The head coach first hinted at his change of opinion while speaking to reporters after the loss on Sunday, as he candidly spoke about feeling the team let Maye down in his NFL debut. He emphasized their need to better support him moving forward, and the plan is to do that as they head into a stretch of potentially winnable games.

Mayo further addressed the situation during his weekly appearance on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" on Monday, admitting that their hesitance to put the rookie quarterback under center was due to the uncertainty surrounding the offensive line, a factor fans have been suggesting was the reason for the past several months.

While it isn't breaking news that Mayo finally confirmed what most of us have been thinking, it was the first time he admitted there were problems with the linemen they had on the team.

Of course, it's silly to believe a head coach would say anything but supportive words about the players on their roster ahead of the season, so the idea that Mayo was expected to say the group was not up to par before playing a single meaningful snap was out of the question. But now that they have, and for most of the past six games, have been one of the biggest problems, he seems to feel comfortable making the admission now.

What this means and how they will proceed through the rest of the season is unclear, especially with David Andrews sidelined until next year. But it's at least a positive sign that the staff recognizes the offense's biggest weaknesses and wants to put together a better roster for Maye in the long term.

The good news is that Cole Strange appears to be on track to make his 2024 season debut much sooner than anticipated, a point that became a conversation on Monday morning after the unexpected release of backup center Nick Leverett. Strange's return would significantly improve Maye's chances of leading a successful offense, so hopefully, he'll be back sooner rather than later.

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