“After two preseason games, we’re excited about where we are as a team. We have a lot of work to do. This is a big week for us in practice, as we’re away from home in a night game. The roster will be cut on Tuesday, and we’ll be playing the last game for either team, so we’re aware of that,” Wolf said. “It’s going to be a challenge for us, but we’re excited about it.”

It’s an interesting point from Wolf. New England is third in waiver requests, the same ranking it had in last year’s NFL Draft. Between playing a late game to wrap up the final week of the preseason, where injuries and internal roster decisions will play out, the Pats’ front office will also be watching the other 31 teams.

There is a chance that teams with strong rosters at certain positions could cut players who might be of interest to the Patriots. For example, let’s say a team with a good offensive lineman cuts a player who is useful to New England. Wolf’s crew could then call up said player and risk losing him to Chicago and Washington. Those players were cut for a reason, but NFL-caliber talent will be on the waiver list next week. That’s something to watch over the next week.

Without further ado, here are four key takeaways from Wolf’s press conference Sunday morning:

1. Wolff talks about the state of the attack and Federico Lowe’s rise to first-choice left-back

Besides the competition for the starting quarterback, the bigger personnel story is the current state of the offensive line, which goes hand in hand with the quarterback.

After an impressive performance in his first preseason game, third-rounder Drake May has begun pushing veteran Jacoby Brissett for the starting job. However, as much as you want to see the best players play, there’s some trepidation about putting May behind what could be a shaky offensive line. In particular, Tuesday’s joint practice with the Eagles saw Philadelphia’s excellent offensive line dominate the line of scrimmage.

After the preseason opener, in which May played just six games, head coach Jerod Mayo acknowledged that the inconsistency of New England’s backup offensive line played a role in May not playing much. Mayo also acknowledged a “significant decrease” in understanding the second unit’s blocking schemes compared to the first group.

It’s clear that May will play with the first line when he becomes the starter, which is still a matter of when, not if, he will play this season. However, Wolf said the team is still playing with different combinations along the offensive line, which raises big questions, especially in the offensive line. Until the situation settles, the team may prefer to wait before playing May.

“We’re just trying to find the right lineup. We feel confident in all these players, and we’re just trying to find the best group, not the best five individuals,” Wolff said.

Wolf was then asked a follow-up question about the current free agent market for offensive linemen, which includes former starting offensive linemen Donovan Smith, DJ Humphries and David Bakhtiari. All three aren’t ideal options based on age, injury history and recent performance. However, they are more experienced and have previously been high-level starters.

Although he noted that the Patriots are always looking to improve the roster, Wolf didn’t seem as bothered by the offensive line as those outside the building.

“We’re very comfortable with our group right now. Obviously we’re going to look to improve the offensive line or any position if we feel like it’s possible. But I think we allowed one hit last night. Again, it was Philly’s second hit, but it was an improvement over Tuesday’s practice.”

According to NextGen Stats, the Patriots allowed a 37.1% pressure rate plus one sack, which current starting quarterback Vederian Lowe allowed. For comparison, the league average pressure rate in Week 2 of the preseason was 31.4%. While it was better than in combined practice, it was still on the higher end of the spectrum.

Wolf was asked if the team viewed Lowe as a potential starter before camp began or if this was a new development. Lowe was the team’s best quarterback for most of the offseason and started the two preseason games with the team’s best offense, allowing a quarterback to drop, hit, and rush for 32 blocked passes.

“Federian has done a really good job. He has steadily improved. We said that last year, if he could just learn that he has really good length to get his hands out, he would have a chance to step up to the starting level. He has really started to do that this year, and it has been impressive to watch him progress,” Wolff said.

After practice, Lowe praised offensive line coach Scott Peters for unleashing his length to become a more effective pass-blocker. A former sixth-round pick, Lowe has 35 ⅜-inch arms, putting him in the 88th percentile for offensive linemen. Lowe has length and quick feet, but he needs to be more consistent. Sometimes Lowe loses his technique, leading to quick pressures and drops in pass-blocking.

On the other hand, the Patriots have relied heavily on veteran Chuks Okorafor at right back. However, we’ve recently seen more of third-round pick Caedan Wallace and even standout offensive lineman Mike Onwenu at right back, so that’s also a work in progress.

While it’s good to hear Wolf is optimistic about the offensive line, the tackle situation remains a potential issue for the Patriots’ offense.

2. Quarterback Drake May has shown steady improvement in rookie training camp.

As mentioned, the positive development for the Patriots is that third overall pick Drake May is improving quickly after a strong performance last Thursday night.

The traits that made May an attractive prospect at the top of the 2024 NFL Draft were on full display against the Eagles last week: arm talent, mobility in and out of the pocket, and the center’s general instincts to read the field and play with poise in the pocket. In the last two practice sessions, you can see May’s confidence in the system growing.

Although their first day back was a light session without pads, May came out of last Thursday’s pre-season game with more confidence – it showed. He was then the best midfielder in Sunday’s session, although he was still playing in the two-man position behind Brissett.

May’s team scored three touchdowns on five attempts while working the 7-on-7 penalty, compared to Brissett’s failure on all five of his attempts. Then, in a full-squad drill, WR KJ Osborn hit a nice connection down the field. Osborn ran a corner route against CB Marcus Jones, and May set him up for Osborn to execute the play along the sideline. Brissett, on the other hand, struggled with his timing and accuracy, which has become a hallmark of the veteran quarterback.

“It was good to see [Maye] “It’s been really cool to see how calm and collected he is,” Wolf said of the rookie quarterback. “He’s been steadily improving. He’s been working hard and working hard. He’s a great teammate, and we’re excited to see how he develops.”

“We’ll see,” said the Patriots’ executive vice president of player personnel when Wolff might envision Maye taking over as the starter. “He didn’t get a lot of snaps in the first game. He did a good job with his snaps last night. It’s all about building on those successes and seeing where it goes.”

From that perspective, it won’t be a real contest until Maye gets direct reps with the starting offense. Objectively speaking, however, Maye has recently looked like a more confident passer and dynamic playmaker than Brissett. And while the rookie’s arrow is pointing up, Brissett’s is trending down, which should also be a factor in the decision.

Ultimately, the Patriots have to consider where they’ll put their 21-year-old quarterback in his first season. Again, it would be great if they could play their best player. But there are other factors, with the line being the main sticking point. Wolf made exactly that point when asked about Texans quarterback C.J. Strode’s first season.

“C.J. Stroud was the anomaly in that regard. Again, it’s not about one person or one player. It’s about where the offense is, where Jacoby is, where the team is. We’re just focused on that,” Wolf explained.

3. Wolf’s thoughts on star forward Matthew Judon’s move to Atlanta

The Patriots ended a long-running contract dispute with the four-time Pro Bowler by trading the fan and locker room favorite to the Falcons for a 2025 third-round pick.

The decision to replace Godon was about prioritizing the future over winning in the present, as the 32-year-old was the team’s best player and most troublesome defender. And while he was worthy of a lucrative four-year contract, Godon is getting older and recovering from a season-ending biceps injury, and has made just four appearances in the 2023 campaign.

There’s no doubt that trading Judon makes the Patriots’ roster worse this season, but Wolf said the tough decision was about balancing the present and the future.

“We have to weigh up now the future, what’s best for the team, what’s best for the player, and that was something we felt at an organisational level, and for Matthew, that was probably best for both parties,” Wolff told reporters on Sunday.

It makes sense for a rebuilding team to prioritize adding draft capital over allocating more money to a great but aging player. The question was whether Judon would be on the next great Patriots team. At his age and given the team’s standing, the answer to that question seemed like a resounding “no” to this writer. So adding another top-100 draft pick to Wolf’s war chest next offseason makes sense, even if it makes the team worse off in the short term.

New England will now rely on wideouts Joshua Uche and Oshane Ximenes in larger roles in the pass attack, while linebacker Anfernee Jennings will continue to lead the charge against the run. The Pats will also have second-year defensive end Keon White to disrupt the midfield, but White is more of an inside attacker than an outside attacker like Judon.

Combining that group of players with the pressure planned by Mayo and defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington is how the Patriots plan to replace Judon’s production.

4. Wolfe comments on Patriots’ pursuit of WR Brandon Aiyuk from 49ers

Finally, Wolff acknowledged that the New England Patriots were in the running to acquire offensive lineman Brandon Aiyuk from the San Francisco 49ers. Aiyuk reportedly turned down a trade to the Patriots due to uncertainty over their offense, despite the team offering the star offensive lineman a lucrative contract.

“It’s just a feeling,” Wolf said when asked why the team backed out of Aiyuk trade talks. “It was more of a situation where Aiyuk was still in San Francisco, and it wasn’t resolved from their perspective yet. But we felt organizationally that our young receivers had a really good week, and they continue to progress, so we’re excited for those guys.”

Wolf said the door is completely closed “at this point” when it comes to the Patriots trading Aiyuk.