Former Vols QB Joe Milton could make his NFL regular season debut on Sunday with Patriots
Joe Milton might finally get the opportunity he's been waiting for. After serving as the New England Patriots emergency third quarterback all season, the rookie could potentially see some time on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. Offensive Coordinator Alex Van Pelt confirmed on Thursday that Drake Maye will be "starting the game for sure." Van […]
Joe Milton might finally get the opportunity he's been waiting for.
After serving as the New England Patriots emergency third quarterback all season, the rookie could potentially see some time on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.
Offensive Coordinator Alex Van Pelt confirmed on Thursday that Drake Maye will be "starting the game for sure."
Van Pelt did say that because they are playing the game to win, the intention is for Maye to play the entire game.
However, Van Pelt did also state that Milton has been taking some reps with the offense this week, which differs from his usual role on scout team.
“I think he’s done a great job all year. The stuff that he does on the scout team has been impressive. His ability to throw the ball, he’s an elite passer in that regard. So, we’ll see," Van Pelt said. "We have all three guys ready to go. We’ll make that decision later in the week, but if he does get in there, excited to see what he can do.”
All season, Milton has been praised by the coaching staff for taking advantage of every opportunity he is given, regardless of how little it is since he's behind Maye and Jacoby Brissett.
And with that, Van Pelt shed some light on where he's specifically seen the most growth from Milton.
"His understanding of the system has grown," Van Pelt added. "That alone with his footwork, again much like Drake, the young guys when they come in, teaching them the footwork and the timing of the pass game is critical, and I think he's made strides there as well."
In Week 16, the Patriots were able to keep things close with the Buffalo Bills. But they regressed the following week against the Los Angeles Chargers, and because they were getting blown out, the coaching staff decided to sit Maye and put Brissett in to finish the game.
So if something like that were to happen again against the Bills, the Patriots could decide to have Milton serve as the backup to give him a chance in, what would be, his regular season NFL debut.
