Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Speculation: Drake Maye's Shoulder Drama | Patriots Offense Needs Fixing

Episode Date: September 30, 2026

Some New England Patriots media is buzzing about Drake Maye’s throwing shoulder and Maye’s answers have sparked curiosity. Will Maye’s health impact the Patriots’ season trajectory, or are his recent struggles rooted more in decision-making and offensive rhythm? Nick Cattles scrutinizes Maye’s vague statements, addresses the implications of injuries to key playmakers like A.J. Brown and Eli Raridon, and questions the creativity of Josh McDaniels’ play-calling.Mailbag highlights include whether the Patriots’ offense is too vanilla by design or necessity, the urgent need to involve TreVeyon Henderson in the passing game, and what must change for New England to finish drives and avoid costly penalties. Cattles also breaks down the offensive line’s challenges after Greg Van Roten’s injury, debates calls for veteran help like Kevin Zeitler, and assesses if the Jacksonville Jaguars were reading New England’s playbook in the red zone. Will the Patriots’ tweaks spark a turnaround against the Buffalo Bills?Photo Credit: Eric Canha-IMAGN IMAGESFollow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-patriots/Locked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, & More🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/leagues/nfl/#patriots #newenglandpatriotsSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!HomeChefFor a limited time, Home Chef is offering my listeners FIFTY PERCENT OFF and free shipping for your first box PLUS free dessert for life! Go to http://HomeChef.com/LOCKEDONNFL. GustoTry Gusto today at http://gusto.com/LOCKEDONNFL, and get three months free when you run your first payroll.Gameday Men's HealthBook your complimentary test and consult at https://join.gamedaymenshealth.com/reasons_to_choose_gameday-1201?utm_source=lockedon&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=NFL&utm_network=lockedon&utm_adgroup=corp&ghl_tag=national,corpButcher BoxIf you're looking for an easier way to get great meals on the table, give ButcherBox a try. Go to https://ButcherBox.com/LOCKEDONNFL to get $20 off your first box, plus your choice of free ribeye, new york strip, or filet mignon in every box for a year — with free shipping always.AppleYou can earn up to 3% unlimited Daily Cash back on every purchase you make with Apple Card using Apple Pay. Apply in the Wallet app on your iPhone today. Subject to credit approval. Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank, USA. Salt Lake City Branch. Terms and more at apple-card-dot-com.https://learn.applecard.apple/unlimited-daily-cash?cid=apy-318-2000008800000-400000000000039&itscg=2030032&itsct=srvs-crd-P3004756-C3004897&mttnagencyid=c1a&mttnsiteid=133087&mttnpid=LockedOn%20%28Audio%29&mttnsubad=srvs-crd-P3004756-C3004897&mttnsubplmnt=&mttncc=USIndeedListeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast.PrizePicksVisit https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFL and use code LOCKEDONNFL and get $150 if you win your first $5 lineup!KALSHIToday's episode is brought to you by Kalshi. For a limited time, Download Kalshi and use code Locked On to get $25 when you trade $25. Kalshi. Trade what’s next.GametimeToday's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase.FanDuelGet three hundred fifty dollars in Bonus Bets — GUARANTEED — when you bet five dollars every day for seven days. Join all the action at https://FANDUEL.COMFANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Drake May continues to get questioned about his throwing shoulder and continues to leave the door open for speculation. This is Lockdown Patriots. You are Locked on Patriots. Your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. What's happening? I'm your host of Nick Cattles on today's show, breaking down the likelihood of defenses knowing what's coming from the Pat's offense. And the second segment, suggestions to improve the offense for week four.

But first, Drake May's radio interview on Monday left more questions than answers. Again, I'm Nick Cattels. This is Lockdown Patriots. Make sure to follow and listen over on Amazon Music so you never miss an episode. Before I get to the mailbag questions, is there a problem with Drake May's shoulder? Is he not healthy? Now, Doug Kide on Sunday following the game against the Jaguars, he talked to Drake May about the shoulder. He asked him during that press conference in the post game.

And Doug Kide from the Boston Herald posted that back and forth. Drake physically, the right shoulder, just going back to the Super Bowl. Do you feel like that has any lingering effect this season? Answer, yeah, I mean, I like to say when you got that much time off and you get to focus on getting back that you're going out there healthy, You're going to get banged up every now and then. But at the same time, a lot of guys are banged up. So looking forward to getting back to playing winning football, door open to not being 100% when he says with lots of guys are banged up, right?

It sounds like he could be leaving that door open. So Kide followed up. Does your shoulder feel as good now as it did before that injury? Answer, yeah, I wouldn't say there's a problem with my shoulder. I think there's times where I think you look back and you look back on the playoff run in that Denver game and when I took the hit and to now, I felt good during training camp and continue to let it loose. So I don't think that part is evasive.

Drake May answers the question saying, I wouldn't say there's a problem. I wouldn't say that there's a problem with my shoulder. He compares how he looked in the AFC championship game to now, saying he felt good during camp and continues to let it loose. But then things got a little bit more weird on WEEI's afternoon show, So question. When you said that you don't believe there's a problem with your shoulder,

are you saying your right shoulder and throwing arm feel 100% physically the same as they did before the injury? Answer. Yeah, it's a similar question to the way I answered it in the post game. I think we got to, I don't think that has anything to do with executing and playing better football and realizing that's the biggest thing that contributes to winning. It's pretty much a non-answer, right? He's asked directly about the shoulder. He says, well, I answered it in the post game. I don't think that has anything to do with executing and playing better football.

Question, do you feel the same as you did before your injury? Or is there still something that's lingering? Answer, anytime I'm out there and I'm in uniform on the field, I'm going to play 100% and give it my all. It's kind of what I have to say. Again, playing 100% versus being 100%, not the same thing. Question, is it something you're managing every day? I mean, anytime that you come out from a game and you're sore,

everybody's dealing with things from the game. I wouldn't say that it's anything in particular. I think it's getting back out there and realizing it's getting ready for this week in practice. Now, Drake May can easily say directly, I'm not hurt, I'm fine, there's no injury, this is nothing physical. He hasn't said that. And because he hasn't said that, again, it opens the door for people to speculate. He has not been direct on this, especially on EEI. I thought you could say he did a good enough job in the post game after the Jacksonville debacle on Sunday.

You know, when he said, I wouldn't say there's a problem with my shoulder. I don't know what else he's supposed to say. But when he's asked the follow-up questions on EEI, he could have totally put it to bed. I don't think this is a big thing. I don't think it's a thing at all. I haven't seen any signs of an injury. I haven't seen any kind of throws that would alarm me. I talked about the Romeo Dobbs off-platform throw against Pittsburgh, which was 50 yards in the air.

The Pop Douglas underthrow against Jacksonville. Was that safe? Was it Drake May pulling the string? His worst throws, to me, have nothing to do with arm strength or any type of injury to the shoulder. The Patrick Queen interception, for example, against the Steelers. That's bad footwork, pressure in his face. If you look at the vast majority of his throws that aren't good throws, it's because of his mechanics.

It's because of his footwork. It's because of his pocket manipulation, pocket presence, or lack thereof. If you look at a lot of the turnovers, it's just bad decision making. That's the biggest problem. It has nothing to do with his physical health. I think the vast majority of what we're seeing with May is between the airs. All right. enough up between the ears and the shoulder.

Let's get to some questions in the mailbag this week. Let's start off with Jeff Richie Richie one. Do you think the Josh McDaniels offense is a good fit with Drake? Well, no doubt the offense and Drake May are off to a terrible start in almost every category, but there's also no doubt that May was the MVP runner up last year, and the Patriots last season finished third in yards per game and second point. points per game. I know a lot of people are screaming at me right now. The schedule. Yes, the schedule. I understand. But also, there were things when you look at the Patriots offense last year that would

almost, I wouldn't say cancel out the schedule, but make that schedule not as easy as you might have thought walking in, right? Like the idea of looking at the schedule, but also looking at four out of your five offensive linemen and being new to the program. Two of those guys, rookies, Drake May's first year in the offense with Josh McDaniels, learning that system, learning the verbiage. The Patriots had an inconsistent run game all season. Now, theoretically, there are things that fit may well with this offense,

play action and throwing to the middle of the field. Couple of issues with that. The Patriots are actually near the bottom of the league in playoff. action. And with May, you know, his turnovers, him hesitant to throw the football at times. He's not attacking the middle of the football field consistently. So those two things that theoretically fit with May, they're not fitting right now. But I'm going to give this offense more time. I'm going to have Josh McDaniels more time. I'm going to make it May more time. Because I think, you know, you've got to adjust to teams adjusting to May and McDaniels.

And Josh McDaniels has talked about this. Teams now have film with May in this offense, and they know what might bug him. You look at May and the missed opportunities. There have been plays to make on the field. And I think if your quarterback gets out of his own head and plays better football, we'll see those plays actually happen, unfold, and be very productive. I also think this team is suffering from failed execution, which we've talked about. And I would expect that to get better as the season goes.

I would hope it would get better. And you've had just over a half with A.J. Brown. And you've had Eli Raarden for about a game and a half. So, you know, let's see what it looks like if when those two guys get back. I want to revisit all of this in three to four weeks when you've got A.J. Brown and Eli Raiden back, fingers crossed. Next question. A.J. Brown and Joyer.

Does Josh McDaniels ever consider me? modernizing his offense and why does every single play rely on a key block from Hunter Henry, who we know is not a good blocker? They can certainly do things better, and there is a lack of creativity when you watch this offense. But here's a huge question. Are they vanilla for vanilla's sake? Or are they vanilla because of both Drake May, his issues against Seattle, shook him a little bit, and the injuries that they've suffered in trying to figure out roles. It's very difficult to throw a bunch of new at a quarterback who might be mentally fried. It's difficult to throw a bunch of creativity out there when you've got guys that,

you know, are out with injury. You've got other guys maybe playing roles that you did not necessarily think they would be playing right now. So there's a lot of context to this conversation. And some might say, well, Nick, they were vanilla against Seattle. I think that was the game plan, which we discussed post Seattle. But against Pittsburgh, and against Jacksonville, you've got to think, you know, three fourth quarter interceptions might have made Josh McDaniels say, let's wait a minute here. Let's take a deep breath.

The A.J. Brown injury absolutely shook up this offense. You know, there's a balance. That danger in throwing a ton of new stuff at your quarterback and throwing new stuff at the team without Brown and Rared it. But they absolutely need more. things that they can do that should not further shake up Drake May and shouldn't completely change this offense without Brown and Raird. I would like to see, as I mentioned in the first answer, I want to see more play action. I'm not sure why the Patriots are at the bottom of the league

or near the bottom of the league and play action. I want to see more motion. Now, you don't have to go crazy with the motion if you're concerned that that will throw May off, but you have to mix in more motion. The Patriots are also near the bottom of the league in that analytic. How about some bunch formations to create some separation and easy openings? How about using tempo within your offense? We all talked about tempo. Andrew Callahan wrote this big article about tempo and how the Patriots were going to run no huddle. Again, part of that might be let's not put too much on May right now, but you can still mix it in. Another huge problem is that the solutions to their problems back from 2025,

they haven't been solutions. The run game was inconsistent. You go out, you sign Julian Hill, he gets injured. You go out and you sign Reggie Gilliam, he has not been good. You sign Elijah Verit Tucker, then Michael Wen, who gets her. They wanted to improve the wide receiver room. You've got the A.J. Brown injury significantly impacting the usage of those guys. I said it on yesterday's podcast.

They need to get more from Romeo Dobbs. But would they be getting more from Romeo Dobbs if A.J. Brown was on the field? Are they still trying to kind of figure out that fit now that Brown is out? And Hunter Henry, he looks cooked through three weeks. And I hope it's an injury situation, but he's falling on his face, running routes. You know, he's not getting into the route quick enough. His blocking stinks. some of this, you know, you have to try to attack a defense when you say, you know, why do you rely on Hunter Henry being a key blocker?

And I appreciate the frustration and the hyperbole. It's not, you know, every single play. I get your point. But sometimes you've got to try to attack the perimeter. And you've got to try to run outside the tackles to try to mix it up. And you got to depend on your receivers and your tight ends. So they need illiterated back because the Henry stuff is, is, starting to concern me. It really is. I'm starting to wonder, you know, a little long in the

tooth. Coming up, goals for this offense to reach in week four and getting more from Traybion Henderson. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, now the number one sports podcast network, your team every day. Football's back and you know what that means. It means that Sundays are about to get a whole lot more interesting. Every week brings new matchups, breakout players, big performances, and plenty of storyline. to follow. And if you like getting even more engaged with the players and stats, you're watching, there's a new way to make game day more exciting. Prize picks is bringing out its best offer yet. New users who sign up can get $150 in lineups if they win their first $5 lineup.

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Thank you for making us your first listen and for being an everyday. Let's get right back to the mailbag questions. Boston Chowder. What should be some goals for the offense for next week that we can build upon as the season progresses? Okay, let's look forward with this offense. Josh McDaniels needs to get into the lab, and it has to start with the run game. And I know Evan Lazzar went viral with a great clip, you know, ranting and raving and really talking about the lack of creativity and the run game.

And look, the success rate, when you look at it. it. Ramadre Stevenson, 26th. Trayvion Henderson, 36th. So just not good enough. The Patriots are 10th in the NFL and stuffed rate. Not great. They're 29th in yards before contact per attempt. So when you look at that specific statistic, it's telling us that not every run is the running back's fault. Now, there is some of it, right? Some lack of vision. from both guys. Maybe they should have, you know, gotten more on that run or this run. But overall, when you are in the bottom three or four and yards before contact per rush attempt, that's on the offensive line. That's on the tight end.

And at times, that is also on the wide receivers. And you could also include Reggie Gilliam. So just not getting enough push up front consistently. Now, when we talk about the offensive line, the same thing can be said for pressure rate. It doesn't mean that all five guys stink. For example, against the Jaguars, past protection, I thought, was good if not really good from Jared Wilson, Elijah Barrett Tucker, and Will Campbell. From your center left, you were fine. Center right, you were an atrocity.

So when we look at yards, you know, before contact per attempt, it doesn't mean that the entire offensive line is doing a terrible job, snap in and snap out. But there are plays, you know, a handful of runs where, you know, the right guard might stink once or twice. And especially now that Michael Wenu is done, the right tackle, Morgan Moses might miss a block. Jared Wilson might miss a block.

And it's the combination of all of those things. So the first thing, they've got to get their run. game going. They've got to be more creative. I think they've got to try to attack the perimeter with the run game. And I know that means you're asking your tight end to block. But, you know, Jacksonville was not a great matchup. Last week for that, they're pretty good side line to sideline. They're pretty good at containing the edge and stopping perimeter runs. Maybe you try to do that a little bit against Buffalo this week. When you run inside, run to the left, given your right guard situation, which we'll

talk about a little bit, you know, just run center left. They need to finish drives as well, Boston Chowder. Like, they're one of the worst teams in football. They are the worst team in football when it comes to scoring touchdowns when they get in the red zone, 16.67%. That is so bad. And obviously, it's execution, but it's also your quarter. turning the ball over in the red zone.

Less penalties. Let's not see any holding penalties on the offensive line. Let's not see any offensive pass interference calls on the wide receivers like Romeo Dobbs this past week. Just play a clean game. And do not allow your right guard, right tackle to kill the momentum of drives or to kill your quarterback. Let's make sure we get those moving pockets.

Let's make sure that when he moves at times, he's even moving to his left, even though it's obviously more natural to move to his right. So those are some things, right? Better run game, finish drives, less penalties, and don't allow your right guard, right tackle to mess up the entire game. McGarish, why is Trayvion Henderson not being used in the past game? Better question now than it was before the season.

Before the season, I talked about it. Well, if Trayvion Henderson can't block well and pass protection, then he's not going to be out there on the season. third down, he can't be trusted, but he's looked better with his pass blocking this season than he did last year. So I think this question is much more fair now than it was before we saw him play a game. Now, I'm speculating, but maybe it's because they did not want to put too much on Henderson. You know, maybe they wanted to go into this season with him focused on what he needed to improve on, pass protection, his patience, vision.

And maybe they just said, let's take care. or those things first. Maybe they wanted or needed to see him be better in pass protection before throwing him out there. But no more excuses now. I would move Trayvion Henderson around the line of scrimmage. Again, I mentioned this earlier, but bunch formations, why not throw a running back, you know,

included with those bunch formations, have Henderson or Ramandre Stevenson, who is an excellent past catching running back, have one of those guys be within that, bunch formation, whether it's right or left, line you're running back out wide. How about pony formations, having both Stevenson and Henderson in the game at the same time? How about a cheat motion every once in a while with Henderson, which is that Tyreek Hill motion that we saw start in Miami, where you're kind of running towards the defense, but if you time it out perfectly,

it's not a penalty. Can we see a cheat motion every once in a while? Again, you got to balance it out. You don't want to throw too much on your quarterback, but you got to find ways to get Henderson more involved, the explosivity. Now, the double pass against Jacksonville, that was set up for Henderson.

And if Hunter Henry made the block, Chisholm is throwing it, Efton Chisholm's throwing it back to Henderson, and Henderson probably takes it to the house because there's literally nobody defensively on that side of the field. But that goes to the, you know, execution, lack thereof. You got to find outlets for Drake May, though, especially without A.J. Brown and Eli Raarden. More safe outlets, the better. Squeeze this one in. Dirty sweet Clint. By the way, don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe, help us out on YouTube. Do you think they'll sign a veteran? I know this one of Rabel's former right guards is available, Kevin Zitler? Not sure if he has any gas left. Last week, I said, if Greg Van Routen gets hurt, they'll likelihood of going out and trying to find somebody grows. Well, Greg Van Routen, we found out

earlier in the afternoon on Tuesday, he's going to the IR with a thigh injury. So he's going to be out. Start looking. Now, who's out there? Kevin Zitler, as you mentioned, is there anyone else? The Packers just signed Mackay Beckton and Lakin Tomlinson, two veterans who were out there. And you've asked a question, like, you asked the Dirty Sweet Clint, you know, any gas left in the tank. you know, why are these guys still available? It's not like this is the summer and they're choosing to skip camp. It's not like offensive lines are deep throughout the league in 2026. Now Walter Rouse, he did not look very good against Jacksonville.

Does Ben Brown get involved? I would not be surprised if they throw Ben Brown out there. Give him a look. And we also have the Morgan Moses questions. Is he healthy? So, yeah, I'd start scouring. and seeing if anybody's out there that's worthwhile. Did the Jaguars know that what was coming from the Patriots offense on Sunday?

That more next. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. This message is a paid partnership with Apple Card. One of my favorite parts of game day is everything leading up to it. Getting the house ready for a watch party, putting on my favorite team hoodie, and making one last run to the store before a kickoff.

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Gabby does a great job as they get ready for their series against the Yankees. By the time this is released, Game 1 will have been played already. Hopefully the socks are up one Zippo. Back to the questions. Back to the Patriots talk. Adam Lieberman. It seemed to me the Jaguars knew what play was coming far too often,

especially in the red zone, did it seem that way to you? Honestly, it didn't stand out to me too much, Adam. The Drake May run in the red zone, that is a great individual play by Josh Heinz Allen. He just didn't bite the fake. And at times, that's what happens. Like, you've got to get the defensive end to bite on that run fake to the running back to then slip out the edge. And Heinz Allen didn't buy the fake.

there was a run play early in the game. I know this was on social media that it seemed to be snuffed out by the Jaguars defense. One of the linebackers is like pointing towards where the run is going to be. That stuff happens. Like that stuff happens in every NFL game. So it's not something that's new or unexpected from time to time. The defense is going to pick up on a tell. The defense is going to make the right defensive play call.

But really to me, Adam, you're not going to be a very effective. effective red zone offense if you can't run the ball. And so I just think the lack of creativity, the lack of push up front might make it look like at times that the defense knows what's coming. And in some of it is predictable from Josh McDaniels. Again, they're not necessarily attacking the perimeter very often as one example. So, you know, if you're kind of keying inside, you also know that the Patriots are dealing with now right guard number three and Walter Rouse and maybe right guard number four with Ben Brown

as of this weekend. You also might say to yourself, well, they're not going to run the ball to that side of the offensive line. If you pick up that Morgan Moses is hurting, you know, you might be able to get a quicker rush on him, which might make it look like the defense knows what's coming. You might blitz to that side. So there's a lot of different things. Let's dig deeper, though, into some of the red zone plays against the Jaguars. And why, I don't think it's a thing where Jacksonville knew what was going to happen. Second quarter, 920 left in the quarter. Jacksonville, 17-yard line.

It's a third and six. This was the incomplete pass to Mack Hollins in the end zone. It was a great throw by Drake May. Hollins just couldn't make the catch. It was one of May's only good throws in that game. If Hollins makes that play on the ball, it's a touchdown. Now, second quarter, two-minute drill, two minutes left. Jacksonville, 18-yard line of first in 10.

Travianne Henderson, four yards. That's a good run on a first down in the red zones. Then you got second and six from the Jacksonville 14. You had the Drake May scramble for eight yards. Now, on that play, Morgan Moses just gives up a quick pressure. So, again, that happens. Then you've got first in goal, Jacksonville five. That's the May option run I talked about.

Jacksonville 4 second in goal. Ramadre Stevenson gets a two-yard run. Caleb Lomu got wiped out on his block. That's why that play didn't work out well. And then, you know, you've got the third in goal from the Jacksonville, too, which led to the hideous Drake May interception. Nobody was open. You know, everything is condensed.

You've got a third down. Your running game hasn't been great. So nobody was open. Throw it away. I'm going to blame lack of execution some of the bland run calls and May's issues for the red zone problems. Let's go to MDox 619. Is Robert Spillane a weak link in the defense? He has not been the same guy in 2026 that he was in 2025.

I thought he had a rough game against Jacksonville. I don't think he was great in week one. He was a little better in week two. What I'm seeing, miss tackles, which stand out. obviously. He is slower from sideline to sideline it looks to me. He has had a couple of good reps as a blitzer, but I just, I don't think his run fits have been great or consistent on a weekly basis. And if I remember correctly, he got off to a slower start last year as well. So maybe this is just, you know, history repeating itself. Hopefully fingers crossed.

But I don't think he's looked good. And, you know, when you look at personnel, it's a bigger question when discussing this team's personnel because, you know, you might be able to go free safety. Can you go more free safety? How does that impact everything else? It's just it's not great from Robert Spillane so far. But ultimately, if the Patriots can get good pressure up front,

if they could just get good pressure up front, front and the secondary stays sharp, they'll be okay defensively. But they've got to win up front. You've got to be good against the run up front as well. But if your defensive line wins, you contain the edge, your secondary stays sharp, you get the pass rush, you blitz a little bit, you can survive. But obviously, it would be much better if Robert Spillane stepped up. Christian Ellis has been much better than Spillane so far this year.

That wraps up this edition of Lockdown Patriots. Reach out to me on Twitter at Nick C. Radio. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe on YouTube. Help a community out. If you want another way to be locked on to the Patriots every day, check out the Lockdown Patriots hit, your daily hit of espresso on the team that you love. Quick, strong, five minutes or less.

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