Brissett injures shoulder, Maye shines in Patriots' preseason finale

New England Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett sustained a shoulder injury during Sunday's preseason finale versus the Washington Commanders.

Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said postgame that Brissett's injury isn't major.

"He would've been able to continue," Mayo said, according to Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald. "He said he was good. We'll find out tomorrow."

Brissett played one offensive series Sunday and attempted only four passes before the Patriots listed him as questionable to return due to a right shoulder injury. New England initially planned for the veteran signal-caller to play one or two drives, notes ESPN's Mike Reiss.

Brissett was visibly in pain after being sacked by Commanders defensive lineman KJ Henry early in the game, per Mark Daniels of MassLive.

The Patriots turned to rookie quarterback Drake Maye with an injured Brissett on the sideline, and the first-year passer didn't disappoint. Despite a subpar performance from New England's offensive line, Maye completed 13 of 20 pass attempts for 126 yards and one touchdown against Washington. The Commanders won 20-10.

The 31-year-old Brissett - who reunited with New England this past offseason - took most of the team's first-team snaps at training camp. However, Mayo recently said he wasn't ready to name a Week 1 starter yet. The Pats drafted Maye third overall in April after going 4-13 in 2023.

"I think early on, he was trying to defer and just be a good teammate. Now, he's competing to be the starting quarterback," Mayo recently said of Maye's improvement, according to Reiss. "He's really kind of ramped up his preparation and production on the field."

New England's quarterback depth chart also includes sixth-round rookie Joe Milton and Bailey Zappe. The team opens its 2024 regular season with a road game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 8.