Drake Maye watched on as the New England Patriots finished the 2026 NFL preseason with a 1-1-1 record after a 37-13 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Now, the Patriots will look to bounce back from a Super Bowl LX loss, taking on Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks in the 2026 NFL season opener on Wednesday night.
Maye became an MVP favorite during his second season in New England. Leading the Patriots to a Super Bowl appearance, the former North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback completed 354-of-492 passes for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
However, entering his third NFL season, Maye will be without one of his offensive linemen.
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Ben Brown, after spending five seasons at Ole Miss, went undrafted in 2022 before signing with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent. The center bounced around the league over the next two years before joining the Patriots in the middle of the 2024 season.
Brown has become a reliable rotational piece during his time in New England, backing up starting center Jared Wilson. However, during the preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts, Brown suffered a knee injury, forcing him to miss the rest of the preseason. Coach Mike Vrabel even said the injury could leave him out “a few weeks.”
And on Monday, Brown was unable to practice for a yet another day, and was officially ruled out for Wednesday’s game against the Seahawks, leaving Maye without some offensive line depth. The center also wasn’t healthy enough to travel with the Patriots to Seattle.
Not only that, but running back TreVeyon Henderson also remained out of practice, leaving his status for the Seahawks matchup up in the air. Defensive tackle Christian Barmore, on the other hand, was a full participant on Monday.
Maye and the Patriots will face the Seahawks on Wednesday at 8:20 p.m. ET.
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