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Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff Writer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye will be a limited participant in practice Wednesday as he progresses through the NFL’s concussion protocol.
Coach Jerod Mayo said Maye’s status for Sunday’s road game against the Tennessee Titans is out of the team’s hands, and the Patriots will adjust accordingly, with veteran Jacoby Brissett and Joe Milton III next on the quarterback depth chart.
“He will throw the ball at times in practice today but he will be limited,” Mayo said. “There are people a lot smarter than me as far as clearing people with concussions, and we’ll lean on our medical professionals and also the NFL league policy as far as getting him ready to play.
“I do have confidence that if the league says he’s ready to play, he will be able to go out there and operate. In saying that, I feel very comfortable putting Jacoby in there as he is a professional and always stays ready, as you could see from the last game. However that plays out, we’ll see.”
A player can not be cleared to play in a game until he is cleared by an independent doctor, which is the final step of the league’s concussion protocol.
Maye was placed in concussion protocol early in the second quarter of Sunday’s 25-22 win over the New York Jets, with Mayo saying the NFL’s independent spotter initiated that process.
Maye had stayed in the game after an 18-yard run late in the first quarter in which he was on the receiving end of helmet-to-helmet contact from linebacker Jamien Sherwood as he was sliding. Maye played four plays after that, and when the Patriots punted, he came to the sideline and sat on the bench before medical officials and the Patriots’ athletic training staff brought him to the medical tent for further evaluation.
Maye later walked to the locker room for further evaluation, and at halftime, he told Mayo that he hoped to continue playing in the game.
On Wednesday, Mayo said of Maye: “His spirits are good. They were good after the game. He actually threw a couple of dimes after the hit. So he was upbeat.”
Brissett took over for Maye over the final three quarters, leading a game-winning drive at the end of the fourth quarter.
Looking ahead to Sunday’s game against the Titans, and preparations leading into it, Mayo said: “We treat it as any other injury. Having a veteran quarterback like Jacoby kind of puts us at ease.”