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Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff Writer
New England Patriots starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett sustained an injury to his throwing shoulder in the first quarter of Sunday’s 20-10 preseason loss to the Washington Commanders, with coach Jerod Mayo saying the veteran could have continued if the plan were to play him longer.
“I talked to him, but we’ll see [Monday]. You always feel a little bit more sore the next day,” Mayo said. “But he said he was good.”
Brissett grimaced after he was sacked by Washington’s KJ Henry on the sixth offensive play, with the 6-foot-4, 255-pound Henry coming in free due to a blocking miscue and the full force of his body landing on top of Brissett’s right shoulder. As Brissett came to his feet, he brought his left hand across his chest to clutch the front of the shoulder.
He stayed in the game, connecting on a 6-yard pass on the following play and then delivering a pinpoint deep throw to receiver K.J. Osborn, which was dropped.
Brissett was pulled from the game after that, which Mayo said was the plan beforehand so that rookie Drake Maye could play through the end of the second quarter.
“He would have been able to continue,” Mayo said of Brissett, who spent the rest of the night on the sideline.
In place of Brissett, Maye finished 13-of-20 for 126 yards and one touchdown, which came on his first drive. Maye also had a 17-yard run, which was a key play to set up the team’s lone touchdown.
If Brissett’s injury turns out to be more significant, Mayo and his coaching staff will then assess if they are comfortable turning things over to Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. Mayo wouldn’t commit to that after Sunday’s game, saying he needed to review the film.
“I would like to sit here and say 100 percent, he is our second-best quarterback on our roster right now,” Mayo said.
Potentially complicating that possibility is the surrounding offensive cast, particularly on the line. The Patriots’ top offensive line (minus center David Andrews) was called for eight penalties Sunday, and there was also one bad shotgun snap, another botched center-quarterback exchange and a blocking miscue on the play in which Brissett was sacked. Four of the eight penalties were for aligning incorrectly — three against left tackle Chukwuma Okorafor and one against right tackle Mike Onwenu.
In addition to Brissett and Maye, the Patriots have rookie Joe Milton III and third-year veteran Bailey Zappe on the quarterback depth chart leading into Tuesday’s deadline to trim the roster to 53 players.
From the beginning of training camp, Mayo has consistently maintained that Brissett is the starter, with Maye having a chance to win the job if he “lights it up.”
Asked if he feels ready if called upon for the season opener, Maye said: “Yeah, I think I would feel ready. I think I’m ready for whatever this football team asks of me and ready to get out there and try to help beat the Bengals Week 1.”