Give the Patriots credit for some astute situational awareness.
I’m not talking about what we’ve seen on the field. They lost their second preseason game Thursday night, falling to the Philadelphia Eagles Junior Varsity, 14-13.
The most important thing was a positive: Rookie quarterback Drake Maye looked (mostly) smooth in his first extended playing time.
The kid throws a nice, effortless ball and can scoot a little, running for the Patriots’ only touchdown in the second quarter.
I’ll presume this means Maye gets to keep his roster spot for another week (phew), though given how over-the-top the “concern” was after he struggled in his first week of practice, some sports-radio caterwauler might concoct a moronic way to dispute even that. Stay tuned. Better yet, don’t.
There wasn’t much you would call sharp or alert or situationally aware about the Patriots otherwise.
Not one but two backup centers struggled with the most fundamental action on offense — snapping the ball to the quarterback.
Rookie receiver Javon Baker couldn’t hang on to Maye’s best throw of the night, a dart down the right seam. Baker also has a habit of running out of bounds on sideline routes. He has to play, but he’s going to be one of those rookies who provides a highlight for every five exasperating plays.
But this, given who was put at risk, was the most troubling play: Just before halftime, Eagles rusher Nolan Smith drilled Maye from the blind side after running back Kevin Harris’s attempt at chipping Smith seemed to drive him out of the path of being blocked by left-tackle-by-default Vederian Lowe.
I’m coming around on the idea of wanting Maye to play sooner rather than later, but the cause for pause remains that … well, that Vederian Lowe somehow is shaping up to be their best option at left tackle, and I’m not even sure he’s the best option to be the backup left tackle on a decent team.
So, yes, the Patriots offense has a lot of work to do just to be considered a work in progress.
The credit for astute situational awareness doesn’t belong to the Patriots’ players, but to executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and the front-office folks charged with assembling a contending football team again.
Trading Matthew Judon to the Falcons Wednesday brought a nice return — a 2025 third-round pick — and cured what was becoming a chronic headache, the veteran pass rusher’s displeasure with his contract situation.
There was a boldness to the move that is rather admirable. Judon had 32 sacks in just 38 games with the Patriots. He was a productive player with a big personality, someone on the short list of the best veteran players on the roster.
Wolf and coach Jerod Mayo are in their first year in their particular roles. It would be human nature for them to try to validate their new gigs by doing everything in their power to win as many games as possible this season, even at the expense of the future.
The Patriots defense last year was practically heroic in the football sense, allowing the seventh-fewest yards in the league despite constantly being left in difficult situations by Mac Jones and a historically inept offense.
A healthy Judon — who was lost for the season in Week 4 last year — would have made them even better. He elevated teammates such as Joshua Uche, whose sacks fell from 11½ in 2022 to 3 last season.
Plus, the defense had already endured a blow in training camp when defensive tackle Christian Barmore, who emerged as a force last season, was lost indefinitely with blood clots. It seemed as if they couldn’t afford to lose Judon if they wanted to be competitive.
But that’s where Wolf, and perhaps Mayo too, had that astute situational awareness that is often lacking in new leaders.
They assessed Judon, and their own circumstances, honestly. Judon is 32 years old, and as good as he is at his job, he probably won’t be the same player by the time the Patriots are a genuinely good team again.
So Wolf did the right thing, which isn’t always congruent with the easy thing: He traded an accomplished veteran player for a future asset, all but acknowledging that the purpose of the 2024 Patriots is to develop young talent, find a core group, and prepare for the seasons beyond this one.
I wouldn’t call it a full-on tank-a-thon. They probably don’t have to tank, given some of the voids and talent gaps on this roster. (Vederian Lowe? Vederian Lowe?!?)
They will naturally lose, and they will naturally lose often, and the best hope along the way is that Maye, and Baker, and Ja’Lynn Polk, and Keion White and the assortment of other youngsters look much better at the end of the season than they do at the beginning.
It’s a great sign that the Patriots’ brain trust can be honest with themselves about where this team stands. They know who they are, and they know what they are — one of the league’s weakest teams, right now.
It’s an important acknowledgement, because it allows them to rebuild the proper way. They’re being prudent, and they’re being patient, and they’re willing to endure short-term pain for the long-term payoff.
The awareness of the situation is admirable.
Now if Wolf could just find someone to competently play left tackle until the draft comes around again.
