Why Drake Maye Can Improve Potential Of Multiple Patriots Coaches
Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels have plenty of work to do to get the offense functional again with the New England Patriots.
Both men come back to New England in different manners with Vrabel back from his playing days and McDaniels returning for a third stint as Patriots offensive coordinator. Both still held notable coaching roles in recent years. What they haven’t had is a quarterback.
Vrabel juggled the inadequacies of Ryan Tannehill and Will Levis at quarterback as head coach of the Tennessee Titans. McDaniels’ post-Tom Brady work consisted of seasons with Cam Newton and Mac Jones with the Patriots before a winding list with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Now, the two New England-connected men return to Gillette Stadium to work with second-year quarterback Drake Maye. The No. 3 overall pick showed plenty of promise even with an abysmal Patriots roster limiting his production. Maye should take a significant step forward in 2025 if the Patriots properly supplement the talent around him with plenty of cap space and a top-5 draft pick.
Maye is significantly more talented, with a far higher ceiling than any of the quarterbacks on the list. Vrabel and McDaniels made playoff appearances with Tannehill and Jones, respectively. Provided the Patriots spend the money and draft wisely with the No. 4 overall pick, there’s no reason this offense cannot exceed the necessary levels of production to reach postseason contention.
The Patriots had the sixth-rated scoring offense in 2021 with McDaniels and Jones. That team had more complementary talent, so the front office needed to support Maye accordingly.
Bottom line?
Vrabel and McDaniels got by with far worse quarterback play. Those coaches, with a talented young quarterback in Maye, can finally get the Patriots back on track.