FOXBORO — Drake Maye likely will watch the Patriots’ preseason opener from the sideline this Thursday night.
Head coach Mike Vrabel on Tuesday said he does not expect New England’s starting quarterback to suit up against the Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium.
“I wouldn’t anticipate seeing Drake out there on Thursday,” Vrabel said before the Patriots’ joint practice with the Colts. “But that’s all subject to change. That’s kind of where my mindset is right now, standing here today. Really, it’s just important that we get the work in and get things accomplished that we’re looking to get accomplished. That can always change, but I wouldn’t anticipate that happening right now.”
Teams often use joint practices to give their top players reps against another team in a more controlled setting. Young players and backups likely will see the vast majority of snaps in Thursday’s exhibition game.
“That’s really the only reason that we do these joint practices,” Vrabel said. “It’ll be a lot of the front-line players and whoever’s available. Some of the guys that maybe won’t get as much work (Tuesday) will get extensive work in the game on Thursday. That’s just how it goes. But let’s see how today goes, and we can always adjust and plan accordingly.”
The Colts are taking a similar approach. Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen announced after practice that starting QB Daniel Jones, who is coming off a torn Achilles, will not play Thursday. Anthony Richardson Sr. will play the first half before giving way to Riley Leonard for the second half.
With Maye expected to sit, it’s unclear how the Patriots plan to split the workload between their other two QBs, veteran backup Tommy DeVito and rookie third-stringer Behren Morton. Morton, a seventh-round draft pick out of Texas Tech, did not see any competitive reps during the joint practice.
“I have no clue,” DeVito said after practice. “I think about my rookie year, I was told that morning how much I was playing in the game. So I just prepare like I’m going to play the whole game, and then whatever they tell you, whatever you do, that’s how it is.”