Former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman offered a candid assessment of second-year quarterback Drake Maye following the team’s Week 1 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
In a one-on-one interview with DJ Siddiqi of RG, Edelman pointed to Maye’s discomfort in the pocket and the offense’s early struggles as central to New England’s 20-13 defeat.
“They didn’t look really comfortable on offense quite yet, a lot of moving parts,” Edelman said. “You have to tip your cap to the Raiders, they traveled across the country and had a really good game playing a sound football game. I feel like Drake Maye looked a little jumpy in that pocket. He didn’t look comfortable in that pocket. Once again, his feet weren’t set in that pocket, and so he had some balls that sailed on him. They kept it close until that fourth quarter. I expect them to get better.”
Julian Edelman points to Drake Maye’s struggles while urging Patriots to rebound vs. Dolphins
Maye completed 30 of 46 passes for 287 yards, one touchdown and one interception, finishing with a passer rating of 80.6. His most productive target was wideout Kayshon Boutte, who totaled 103 yards on six catches across eight targets. Despite the individual production, New England’s offense faltered in key moments, allowing the Raiders to pull away late.
Edelman stressed that the Patriots must rebound quickly as they prepare to face the Miami Dolphins in Week 2. He highlighted the heightened expectations surrounding the franchise following the hiring of Mike Vrabel as head coach and the return of Josh McDaniels as offensive coordinator.
“This could be a good thing for them, because this was a team that’s been hyped all offseason in that region, like, ‘Oh, we’re going to the playoffs,’” Edelman said. “We have to remember that they only won four games last year. They didn’t win a lot. Every win in the National Football League is hard. This could be a good thing to give them a little humble soup to go forward and play this Miami Dolphins team and collect this division win, which counts as two in there, this division win. Use those learning points from last week. If they can correct those, that’s going to be a good thing.”
Edelman defends Maye’s growth, expects Patriots’ offense to improve with time
The former Super Bowl MVP defended Maye’s development and the offense’s long-term potential, noting the challenges of working with a revamped roster and a new system.
“I would expect a better performance by the offense, because I think with time, that offense is going to get better,” Edelman said. “This is just his second year. This is his second year with a new system. He’s got to learn a new system. There’s a new offensive line guy, they revamped that offensive line with Will Campbell, a young guy.
“They still have to create that nucleus of guys,” Edelman continued. “It takes some adversity sometimes to get that stuff built. This could be used in a good manner. You hate seeing them lose in the conference, but it wasn’t a division loss. If they can go out and win this week – which I expect them to play better in the division – a tough place to play because of the heat in Miami right now. But I expect them to play better this week.”
The Patriots will travel to Miami for the Dolphins’ home opener on Sunday, Sept. 14, at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS. Miami will attempt to recover from its own early setback, a 33-8 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1.
