Coming off a season where quarterback Drake Maye finished second in MVP voting and led the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl, it seems like the Patriots are all set at the position going into the NFL Draft. Still, there are some important questions that EVP of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf needs to answer.
Those questions just happen to be about the backup quarterback situation. Joshua Dobbs isn’t with the team anymore, leaving just Tommy DeVito as a backup for the Patriots. If New England is going to carry a third quarterback in 2026, they’re not on the roster right now.
Eliot Wolf is Evaluating Quarterbacks for the New England Patriots
GettyNew England Patriots EVP Eliot Wolf
At a recent press conference, Eliot Wolf addressed his plans for the Patriots moving forward. That included how the team is continuing to evaluate all the quarterbacks in the NFL Draft to see who might be a good fit for the team.
“We’ve evaluated all the quarterbacks,” Wolf said. “We’re continuing to do that. We’re looking at some pro options as well. It was really less about Josh specifically and more about the development and growth that we saw from Tommy DeVito in his practice reps last year. He was, as Josh was as well, a great resource for Drake [Maye]. We’ll continue to evaluate the position, whether that’s draft, a pro free agent, a college free agent or however it ends up falling.”
The Patriots have been looking at several quarterbacks more closely than others in the pre-draft process. That includes a recently reported visit with Behren Morton.
New England probably won’t be drafting any quarterbacks until the third day of the draft. There are other, more important needs that they’ll need to fill sooner. So, Wolf will be looking to find a later-round pick who can compete.
There is also some thought that the Patriots could still add another quarterback in free agency. Teams often carry four quarterbacks during the offseason, looking to create competition, but three is typically the most teams will bring into the regular season.
Drake Maye is Looking to Take the Next Step as a Quarterback in 2026
GettyNew England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye
From his rookie season to his second season, Drake Maye took a massive step forward as a quarterback. Now, a pair of Patriots legends have shared their thoughts on what he needs to do to continue to improve. That starts with playing better behind a struggling offensive line, as Julian Edelman explained.
“Year three, I want to see how he deals with the offensive line when they are not performing at their best,” Edelman said. “There’s going to be times where you can’t get them blocked, but we still got to produce. And I think that’s going to be the natural progression in his progression.”
One issue Maye ran into, particularly as he took hits, was an inability to protect the ball. Turnovers became interconnected with playing behind a struggling offensive line, but figuring them out is the key to Rob Gronkowski.
“But I would say to protect the ball,” Gronkowski said. “He had the ball on the ground a lot. He had a lot of fumbles. So you gotta protect that ball, because turnovers hurt your team big time.”
2026 will be Drake Maye’s second year playing for offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. With that comes a growing understanding of the offensive system, and presumably another year where he improves.
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