Will David Andrews’ injury halt Drake Maye’s path to starting reps?

An already porous Patriots offensive line took another sizable hit this week. 

Starting center and team captain David Andrews is expected to miss the remainder of the season due to a shoulder injury, removing one of the few spots of stability up front for an offense already sputtering a month into the season. 

It’s a devastating loss for a Patriots team that’s already been stung by the injury bug countless times in 2024. And it could hold sizable ramifications when it comes to just how soon New England plans on handing the keys to the offense to rookie QB Drake Maye.

One of the primary reasons why New England has been hesitant to anoint Maye as the team’s starter is the woeful supporting cast around him, especially at the line of scrimmage.

The Patriots’ O-line has already relinquished 17 sacks through just four games, leaving current starting QB Jacoby Brissett bruised and battered seemingly every Sunday.

With New England’s anchor in the middle in Andrews now taken out of the equation, an already lackluster grouping is even weaker. 

For now, the next man up at center is veteran Nick Leverett. But even Leverett has been limited this week due to injury, with an ankle ailment tabbing him as a limited participant on Thursday’s injury report. 

Given New England’s already evident struggles in pass protection, could Andrews’ season-ending injury further preclude the Patriots from giving Maye the starting job in the coming weeks? 

So far, both Jerod Mayo and New England offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt believe it won’t hold any sway over decisions at the quarterback position. 

“I would say those are independent of each other,” Mayo said Wednesday. “You always want to have a veteran center in there. But that being said, they don’t tie in together.”

“Right now, we’re just trying to win games on Sunday, so I would say no,” Van Pelt added on Thursday. “I think that we just gotta continue to do what’s best for the team, and get us in a position to win on Sunday.”

It remains to be seen when exactly the Patriots plan on giving Maye a start. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport noted last week that the 22-year-old QB is still “a ways away” from starting on this team, even with his high ceiling. 

Speaking on Thursday, Rapoport acknowledged that Brissett is once again expected to play on Sunday against the Dolphins. 

As for Maye’s timeline, Rapoport added that the rookie will start at some point in 2024. But Andrews’ injury does further complicate an already difficult roster decision for Mayo and his stAff. 

“It is very clear at some point Drake Maye is going to play,” Rapoport said. “It just got a little complicated this week. David Andrews is out for the season with a shoulder injury. They want, when Drake Maye is out there, to put him in a position to succeed. They want to make sure that he is not only as ready, but someone who can hit the ground running and not have his growth stunted by a team around him offensively that really has struggled a little bit.”