As the New England Patriots split into position groups to start practice, the drill work in the quarterback area of the field typically focuses on one area: ball security.
The Two Hand Rule How One Simple Drill Saved Drake Maye’s Career
Posted October 22, 2025
Patriots coaches have put an emphasis on Maye’s pocket presence this season.
With coaches holding padded bags swiping at the football in the pocket, the priority remains keeping two hands on the ball as Drake Maye and his fellow QBs avoid the “rush” and deliver a pass.
After Maye fumbled nine times during his rookie season, losing six, it was an area of focus for offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant, and the new Patriots coaching staff when they arrived this offseason.
“I think that was one of the things, you know, as a staff we talked about — just kind of tweaking and improving a little bit — was just his ball security, his pocket maneuvering,” Grant said. “I think he’s done a good job owning that and taking practice to the game field.”
Through seven games to start this season, Maye has put the ball on the ground just twice. The first came in Week 1 as he was hit on his blindside as he was going to throw. Two weeks later against the Steelers, the quarterback tried to do too much extending a play and lost his only fumble of the season.
But sandwiched between those two games there were signs of progress down in Miami — with the first eye-catching moment coming as Maye stepped up in the pocket with two hands on the ball before delivering a downfield strike to Rhamondre Stevenson.
“I think the first big one where it was like the ‘ah-ha’ moment was down in Miami when we hit the big one in Rhamondre where he stepped up in the pocket,” Grant said. “But I think it shows up multiple times every single weekend. We point it out every time to let him know that, hey, we’re doing these drills for a reason, and it’s cool to see them come to life on Sunday.”
Since the Week 3 fumble, Maye hasn’t put the football on the ground again (despite the box score showing a third fumble on a QB sneak in New Orleans).
As the coaching staff has pointed out, much of that success traces back to the simple ball-security drills to begin practice.
“It’s cool to see it translate. The biggest thing that coaches want to see in individual drills and in practice is things translating to the game,” Maye said. I take it really seriously to put two hands in the pocket and try not to run around with one hand. That hurt me last year.
“So, just trying to have those little things in the memory bank that, man, hurt the football team and just trying to have that in the back of my mind.”
In a Week 6 win against the Saints, the work continued to translate.
Facing a third-and-11 in the fourth quarter, Maye avoided pressure in his face by ripping the football through with two hands before finding Mack Hollins for a 16-yard gain over the middle of the field.
That play came three quarters after Maye somehow avoided a strip sack before flipping a ball to TreVeyon Henderson for a positive gain.
“I just think he has a great feel,” Grant said. “I think about the one clip that he kind of hit the floater to TreVeyon — he felt Cam Jordan climbing around his back in the pocket, and he stepped up with two hands, and he ripped it forward. Instead of bringing it back into his throwing motion, he flipped it out of there.
“Somebody asked me as a quarterback coach if that made me cringe a little bit, and if he had just stayed in his throwing base and flipped his hips to throw, I don’t think anyone would’ve been afraid that he got the ball to the check-down — it was just how he got it to the check-down that made everyone go, ‘Oh my goodness.’ But I think that just shows his feel in the pocket. He has a good sense of what’s going on around him, so that was pretty neat.”
For Maye, that feel has come with years of playing the position.
“You’ve just kind of got a sense in there. Playing quarterback for a long time, you’ve got a sense of when things are closing in and where defenders are at,” he said. “I can do even better when the pockets have been cleaned, not running out quick and getting to the backside of the field on some of the progressions. So, that’s what I’m working on. We still have some stuff, some meat left on the bone.”
After recording a 3.5 percent turnover-worthy play rate as a rookie, Maye has dropped that number 1.9 percent this season — eighth-best among qualified quarterbacks.
That growth in his game has helped Maye get off to a red-hot start, with his Patriots sitting at 5-2 as he’s entered MVP conversations.
“I think his pocket presence or his ability to transfer through the pocket,” head coach Mike Vrabel said when asked about the biggest area he’s seen Maye grow since his arrival
“[It’s] something that with young quarterbacks coming out of college you don’t see a ton of… But that’s something they’ve worked very hard on. I know Josh has done a great job and Ashton’s done a great job on the drill work and seeing it — and being able to do it when it’s there.”
Broncos Trade Pitch Lands ‘Ideal’ $92 Million All-Pro With Franchise Ties
The Denver Broncos got a solid performance from former undrafted free agent and fill-in starter Alex Palczewski in Week 7, but a trade could still be in order before the deadline.
A target like Joel Bitonio of the Cleveland Browns profiles among the pricier potential options, but he is also one of the best. Most importantly, the Browns’ current trajectory could make him available before the deadline passes.
Bitonio also has ties to the Broncos’ current roster.
Heavy Sports Trade Proposal Sends Joel Bitonio to Broncos
The Broncos are looking to bide time until starting left guard Ben Powers returns from a torn biceps, they hope, in December. 9News’ Mike Klis listed Bitonio among other potential options for the Broncos before the trade deadline in an article published on October 21.
This Heavy Sports trade proposal copies the fourth-round draft capital the Chicago Bears sent to the Kansas City Chiefs for four-time Super Bowl champ Joe Thuney this past spring.
Broncos get:
- Joel Bitonio
Browns get:
- 2026 fourth-round pick (via DEN or NO)
Bitonio is a seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time First Team All-Pro.
He has also been durable, logging full regular-season slates in eight of his previous 11 seasons in the NFL.
Bitonio is on an expiring three-year, $48 million contract, and he has earned $92.1 million in his career. Klis noted his “steep” salary ($11.9 million cap hit in 2025) could need reworking. The Broncos have $4.7 million in space, per Over The Cap.
Browns OG Joel Bitonio Called Potential Fit for Broncos
Of the five guards with at least 488 snaps like Bitonio has logged so far this season, he earned the best pass protection, run blocking, and offensive grades from Pro Football Focus.
“He’s 34, a 12-year starter, all with Browns,” Klis wrote. “He’d be an ideal one-year rental player. He’s good friends with Broncos’ left tackle Garett Bolles, a relationship built through having the same agency representatives. A player of Bitonio’s stature may well have a say in a possible trade but a chance to play for a likely playoff team could be enticing for a player near the end of his career.”
New Orleans Saints guard Trevor Penning is among the other options, along with John Simpson of the New York Jets, Jon Runyan Jr. of the New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals veteran Evan Brown, and former Broncos starter Dalton Risner, now of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Risner is considered a long shot for consideration from, let alone a deal with, the Broncos.
Broncos Have Options Before Deadline
Klis also named Nick Allegretti of the Washington Commanders and Andrew Vorhees of the Baltimore Ravens.
All of the options have starting experience. Some are starters for their current teams, which could make them more reluctant to trade. That is where the remaining games before the trade deadline are critical for every team, including the Broncos.
Palcewski, meanwhile, played well in his debut as the Broncos’ starting left guard in Week 7.
How Palczewski performs in his encore against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8 figures to heavily influence how the Broncos approach the trade deadline, which is on November 4.
