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Mike Reiss, ESPN editor-in-chief
New England Patriots starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett suffered a shoulder injury in the first quarter of Sunday’s 20-10 preseason loss to the Washington Commanders, with coach Jerod Mayo saying the veteran could have continued if the plan had been to play him longer.
“I talked to him, but we’ll see (Monday). You always feel a little more sore the next day,” Mayo said. “But he said he was fine.”
Brissett winced after being tackled by Washington’s K.J. Henry on the sixth offensive play. Henry, 6-foot-4, 255 pounds, came into play due to a blocking error and the full force of his body landing on Brissett’s right shoulder. When Brissett got up, he put his left hand on his chest to grab the front of the shoulder.
He stayed in the game, connecting on a 6-yard pass on the next play and then delivering a deep, accurate pass to receiver KJ Osborn, who was dropped.
Brissett was pulled from the game after that, which Mayo said was the plan beforehand so rookie Drake Maye could play until the end of the second quarter.
“He could have kept going,” Mayo said of Brissett, who spent the rest of the night on the sidelines.
In Brissett’s place, Maye finished 13 of 20 passing for 126 yards and a touchdown, which came on his first drive. Maye also had a 17-yard run, which was a key play in setting up the team’s lone touchdown.
If Brissett’s injury proves more serious, Mayo and his coaching staff will then evaluate whether they are comfortable giving the ball to Maye, the third overall pick in the draft. Mayo wouldn’t commit to that after Sunday’s game, saying he needed to review the film.
“I’d like to sit here and say 100 percent he’s our second-best quarterback on our roster right now,” Mayo said.
Potentially complicating that possibility is the surrounding offensive cast, particularly on the line. The Patriots’ top offensive line (with the exception of center David Andrews) was penalized with eight penalties Sunday, and there was also a bad shotgun snap, another botched center-quarterback exchange and a blocking error on the play that sacked Brissett. Four of the eight penalties were for misalignment — three against left tackle Chukwuma Okorafor and one against right tackle Mike Onwenu.
In addition to Brissett and Maye, the Patriots have rookie Joe Milton III and third-year veteran Bailey Zappe on the quarterback depth chart ahead of Tuesday’s deadline to trim the roster to 53 players.
Since the start of training camp, Mayo has consistently maintained that Brissett is the starter, with Maye having a chance to win the job if he “does well.”
Asked if he felt ready if called up for the season opener, Maye said, “Yeah, I think I would feel ready. I think I’m ready for whatever this football team asks of me and ready to get out there and try to help beat the Bengals in Week 1.”
