Patriots
The Patriots' already porous offensive line took one other significant hit this week.
Starting player and team captain David Andrews is predicted to miss the remainder of the season A shoulder injury has taken away one in all the few points of stability at the highest of an offense that has faltered only a month into the season.
It's a devastating loss for a Patriots team that has already been bitten by the injury bug countless times in 2024. And it could have significant implications relating to how quickly New England plans at hand the keys to the offense to rookie QB Drake Maye.
One of the major reasons New England is hesitant to call Maye because the team's starter is the dismal solid around him, especially on the front line.
The Patriots' O-line has already given up 17 sacks in only 4 games, leaving current starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett seemingly injured and banged up every Sunday.
With New England's anchor in the center in Andrews not considered, an already lackluster grouping is even weaker.
The next man in the center for now could be the experienced Nick Leverett. But even Leverett was limited by injury this week, as he was listed as a limited participant on Thursday's injury report because of an ankle injury.
Given New England's already obvious struggles in pass protection, could Andrews' season-ending injury further deter the Patriots from giving Maye the starting job in the approaching weeks?
So far, each Jerod Mayo and New England offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt consider it won't impact decisions on the quarterback position.
“I would say these are independent of each other,” Mayo said Wednesday. “You always want to have a veterans center there. But other than that, they don’t fit together.”
“Right now we’re just trying to win games on Sunday, so I would say no.” Van Pelt added Thursday. “I think we just have to continue to do what’s best for the team and put ourselves in a position to win on Sunday.”
It stays to be seen exactly when the Patriots want to present Maye a start. NFL Media's Ian Rapoport noted last week that the 22-year-old QB remains to be “a long way away” from starting on this team despite his high ceiling.
Speech on ThursdayRapoport acknowledged that Brissett is predicted to play again against the Dolphins on Sunday.
As for Maye's schedule, Rapoport added that the rookie will start sometime in 2024. But Andrew's injury further complicates an already difficult squad decision for Mayo and his staff.
“It’s very clear that Drake Maye is going to play at some point,” Rapoport said. “It just got a bit complicated this week. David Andrews is out for the season with a shoulder injury. They need to put Drake Maye ready to succeed when he's on the market. They need to make certain he's not only just as ready, but someone who can hit the bottom running and never have his growth stunted by a team around him that's really struggling a bit bit on offense.”
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