Drake Maye takes the next step in his development Wednesday as the Patriots begin organized team activities, providing the first glimpse of the quarterback in full-team drills during his second season in coordinator Josh McDaniels' system. Maye was the MVP runner-up last year after completing 72% of his passes for 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions in leading New England to a 14-3 regular season record.

Veteran tight end Hunter Henry called Year 2 in the system the most underrated aspect of Maye's growth. "This system demands a lot on the quarterback position. To have a whole offseason to be in the same scheme and really build on what he did last year, I'm excited to see the jump," Henry said. Former quarterback Brian Hoyer, who played under McDaniels, explained that second-year signal callers typically move from knowing the "what" to understanding the "why" behind each playcall, which accelerates processing speed and decision-making.

The Patriots face a significantly tougher schedule with seven of their first 11 games on the road. They open as 3.5-point underdogs in a Sept. 9 Super Bowl LX rematch at Seattle, with DraftKings projecting a 9.5-win total. If Maye leads the NFL in completion percentage for a second straight season, he would become the first Patriots player to accomplish that feat.