After a horrendous 2023 season, the New England Patriots made a number of changes this offseason, including a few to the quarterback room.
Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe split the 17 starts last year, and they combined to complete 63% of their passes for 3,392 yards, 16 touchdowns and 21 interceptions with a 73.8 passer rating.
The poor play at the position was a primary reason for their struggles.
As the Patriots gear up for training camp in a few weeks, let's familiarize ourselves with each position group, starting with quarterbacks.
Jacoby Brissett
Brissett returned to New England this offseason on a one-year deal after being traded from the Patriots to the Indianapolis Colts back in 2017. He also spent time with the Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns and Washington Commanders over the last three seasons.
At this point, Brissett is the team's starter due to his time in the league and experience in offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt's system. However, it's obvious that he can only do so much, so he'll have to stave off competitors for the job.
Drake Maye
New England selected Maye with the third overall pick in this year's draft out of North Carolina, and he's obviously Brissett's biggest competition for the starting role.
He has a huge arm, but he's adjusting to a new scheme and better competition around him, so with everything on his plate, the Patriots are taking it slow with him. However, Maye has already moved past the next quarterback we'll talk about on the depth chart.
Bailey Zappe
Zappe is the lone holdover from last year's roster at the position despite the offense's struggles. When he was in, he completed just 59.9% of his passes for 1,272 yards, six touchdowns and nine interceptions with a 68.7 passer rating.
New England was willing to expose Zappe to waivers last year, and when he went unclaimed, he was signed back to the practice squad. If he wants to keep his roster spot in 2024, he'll have to prove he's better than the final quarterback on the roster.
Joe Milton III
After selecting Maye in the first round, the Patriots double-dipped at the position and drafted Milton out of Tennessee in the sixth.
Milton has a huge arm, and he's shown that every time he's been on the field, whether that's been at Michigan, Tennessee or during organized team activities and mandatory minicamp in New England.
At 24 years old, he's an older rookie, but the Patriots clearly believe there's something there to work with. If he can show flashes, he'll beat out Zappe and earn that third spot out of camp.
