Colin Cowherd Makes Wild Pitch on Patriots' QB Competition

There's a wide range of opinions sounding off on the latest New England Patriots dilemma.

Jul 24, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) waits for drills to start with quarterback Jacoby Brissett (14) and quarterback Joe Milton III (19) training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

A significant amount of chatter surrounding the New England Patriots this training camp has centered around what's to come of this roster's looming QB battle.

With third-overall pick of this year's draft Drake Maye newly in the fold paired with three other talented names alongside him, the question inevitably becomes who has what it takes to make the 53-man roster, and more importantly, start under center as QB1. Jacoby Brissett comes in as the tested veteran in the lead for that coveted role, with Joe Milton III and Bailey Zappe rallying behind hoping to be named QB3.

However, a few national media talking heads have entered in some intriguing thoughts on the Patriots' QB plans, the latest being from Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports, who sounded off on Drake Maye and New England's training camp events.

After a couple of reports filed in on New England's camp describing some struggles Maye has seen throughout the early motions of camp, Cowherd joined the conversation with an eye-catching take. He floats the idea of sixth-rounder Joe Milton III eventually winning out the competition due to a combination of Maye's up-and-down performance, along with Milton providing a "playmaker" quality this New England offense covets:

"Drake Maye at his best was a project-- everybody knew that. Bad feet, not refined, missed easy throws. He's got some [Justin] Herbert qualities, there's no question... Big, tall, good arm, pretty smart kid. But, when you enter a defensive culture, where they just hired another defensive coach, they have no playmakers, don't be shocked if Joe Milton wins this job or gets a lot of snaps this year."

- Colin Cowherd on Drake Maye

Cowherd's take instantly stands out as one that sounds off a few alarms, also looking a bit premature considering the Patriots are less than two weeks in their training camp process.

Maye being a young quarterback with a few steps left in his development is bound to have several up-and-down practices, especially this early on in training camp. It's impossible to write him off with one or two shaky showings during the initial days in pads, and definitely not for the Patriots' day-three pick at quarterback who has even more progress to make in his progression as a pro-level QB.

Milton, while he does have a bit of a "wow" factor with his unreal arm strength, is still far from a polished NFL QB, and still has a ways to go before he catches up to Maye. There's some noticeable potential for the Tennessee product to turn out soon to be a starting-level player, but it's hard to picture that being with the Patriots in his rookie season.

At this point, the wide expectation for the Patriots' starting quarterback battle comes down to two faces: Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett. Jerod Mayo has consistently held down the stance early in camp that Brissett has shown out as the most prepared QB in the room to handle the starting role, with Maye holding an outside shot to win it if he proves to be the best and most pro-ready talent in the room.

Even if Maye doesn't stake his claim as QB1 as early as week one, that doesn't mean the sky is falling as Cowherd may suggest. Progression as an NFL quarterback is far from a linear path, and it may take a few extra weeks of learning and adjusting to a new system, staff, and teammates to truly show out as the franchise guy New England selected.

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