The decision to hand the quarterback keys to Drake Maye has been discussed since the start of the season. Given the significant changes to personnel and roster, it was assumed that the Patriots would not have a successful year. There was a belief that Jacoby Brissett would step down for the rookie at some point.

Reporters and fans expected Maye to get real game experience early in his career, especially since he will be their full-time starting quarterback as early as next season.

The debate has been heated this past week, even more so when Patriots.com writer Evan Lazar claimed there was “a mutiny” in the locker room over the coach’s decision to keep Maye on the bench. This led to the debate taking center stage again, with many believing that the newcomer will launch sooner rather than later.

But that doesn’t appear to be the case, according to the latest reports from Patriots writers.

It’s an ever-changing narrative about how ready Maye is for the job, with coaches and players raving about how good he looked in training last week. Fast forward to the days leading up to the Dolphins clash, and others claim he’s not as close as previously thought.

Because of that, it looks like Maye won’t see the field against the Dolphins on Sunday unless there’s an emergency. His full game debut will be on hold for at least another week, which may be the best decision given the depletion of the offensive line.

Whether there is widespread agreement that rookie quarterbacks should be protected from a weak offensive line is irrelevant. The Patriots need to avoid a potential disaster with their rookie quarterback to prevent a repeat of the Mac Jones era as much as possible.

Throwing the rookie quarterback behind an offensive line that is unlikely to adequately protect him, either resulting in an injury or threatening his confidence, is not the way a franchise wants to start his NFL career.

More Patriots news and analysis: