Comments from Patriots HC Jerod Mayo will likely put added pressure on QB Joe Milton during summer months
Former Tennessee Vols quarterback Joe Milton has been in the NFL for just a few weeks after getting selected by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but he's likely already feeling some pressure after comments from Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo on Monday. Milton, unlike his teammate and […]
Former Tennessee Vols quarterback Joe Milton has been in the NFL for just a few weeks after getting selected by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but he's likely already feeling some pressure after comments from Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo on Monday.
Milton, unlike his teammate and fellow rookie quarterback Drake Maye (the No. 3 overall pick in the draft), doesn't have a guaranteed spot on New England's 53-man roster this fall.
The Patriots currently have four quarterbacks on the roster — Maye, Milton, Jacoby Brissett, and Bailey Zappe. Of those four, Brissett and Maye essentially have roster spots locked down, which means that Milton and Zappe are competing for the last roster spot. And that competition isn't expected to go all the way until the start of the season based on what Mayo had to say on Monday after New England's first OTA of the offseason.
“Once we get to training camp, that’s real football,” said Mayo. “So out here in the spring we’ll rock with four (quarterbacks). But as soon as we get to training camp now we’ll look to start paring down the roster.”
Mayo also spoke highly of Zappe on Monday, specifically pointing out the experience he has as an NFL quarterback (Zappe has eight career NFL starts).
“Honestly, I think about Zappe as a true professional,” said Mayo. “We drafted two quarterbacks — obviously he’s going to be competing with those guys. But at the same time, he’s an open book. He is a resource. He has started games in this league and that’s more than the other two quarterbacks can say.”
The Patriots have nine more OTA practices and three mandatory minicamp sessions.
And after what Mayo had to say on Monday, it appears that the decision on Milton and Zappe will be made after those OTA practices and minicamp sessions, which doesn't give Milton much time to make a great impression.
Of course, it's not like Zappe showed a lot of upside in the eight starts he's put on tape, so the Patriots might go with upside (Milton) over experience (Zappe) — especially since New England already has a dependable veteran on the roster in Brissett. It would seem redundant to keep Zappe and Brissett both on the roster. Why not just keep Milton and see if New England can unlock his obviously elite skillset?
I tend to think that keeping Milton on the 53-man roster over Zappe will be the decision that's made. Otherwise, Milton wouldn't really be getting a fair shake. (Do you really know what you have in a quarterback until you see them in a game?)
Milton, though, still likely feels a sense of urgency to impress the New England coaching staff, knowing that his roster spot is still up in the air. That pressure was likely kicked up a notch on Monday with Mayo seemingly hinting that New England will move on a from a quarterback before the start of training camp later this summer.
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