There hasn't been much positive in Foxboro through the first seven weeks of the 2024 NFL season. But if there's one bright spot for the New England Patriots, it's their prized rookie quarterback Drake Maye.

Maye, the No. 3 pick in this year's draft, has played an appropriate role in his first two NFL starts. If his upward trend continues, the Patriots could have a star signal-caller who can help them regain their reputation as a perennial contender.

The problem? Maye doesn't have much help around her. Other than DeMario “Pop” Douglas, who has developed into a reliable slot receiver, there are still no real weapons in the passing game. Rookie second-round pick Ja'Lynn Polk has had a case of the drops and second-year receiver Kayshon Boutte is already complaining about his lack of targets.

On a new episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast, Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry discussed the importance of getting the wide receiver situation right and setting Maye up for success.

🔊 Patriots Talk Podcast: Drake Maye faces challenge with Patriots' group of young WRs | Listen and Subscribe | Watch on YouTube

“Mission one is to develop Drake Maye,” Curran said. “We are now fixated on the effort of defense. We are fixated on the struggles of the offensive line. And Drake Maye came in and performed well.”

“But when we talk about lasting impacts and issues that are at the most important position on the field and that priority situation with Drake Maye, the wide receiver room, the architecture of the offense and how well and how easily it moves forward — like clockwork .” or like an hourglass – they don’t have the next decade to develop Maye. That's why it's important to get these things straight.

Perry pointed out that the Patriots' wide receiver situation entering the offseason could be even worse than it was after last year's tumultuous season.

“You would like to think that by the end of this year they could look at it and say, 'Okay, we know we still need a real No. 1, but we have three other players in that position that we believe 'that they are starting caliber.' NFL receivers, and I’m not sure they can say that about this group right now,” he said.

“You have Pop Douglas; he is a starter. I think he's a real slot, he's your threesome. Kayshon Boutte, is he here yet? Is he definitely the starter in the NFL category? I think he's shown flashes, but if not, since he needs to be more consistent in some areas, I don't know how you classify him. And Ja'Lynn Polk is still undetermined for me too, even though I thought he would be starting caliber.

“If you somehow leave this year with fewer receiver options than you started it with, that’s a disaster for me.”

Also in the episode