“I think it’s important,” Maye said. “It’s picking up little things every day.” This kind of story is often an offseason practice contrivance, but it’s easy to spot the significance in this instance. Maye is the Patriots’ new franchise player and Polk sits atop a ludicrously thin receiver depth chart. Any success they might have on offense this season is going to depend in large part on this connection. It’s a great sign they are already working overtime to establish it.

Brissett also added that the team has seen Maye’s “progression come alive” in OTAs and at mandatory minicamp. Last week, Maye earned some reps with the second-team offense and was working with the same group on Monday when the team opened its first day of minicamp. Head coach Jerod Mayo said we at this time, but it’s hard to ignore what we’re seeing. It’s too early to know whether or not Maye will threaten Brissett for the Week 1 nod out of training camp, but if he’s already moved past Bailey Zappe, that leaves only one more hurdle for the No. 3 overall pick to clear in training camp.

The Athletic’s Chad Graff reports Maye ran the second-team offense on Tuesday after starting OTAs playing behind starter Jacoby Brissett and backup Bailey Zappe. This should not be read as a major development as the team is likely just giving Maye an opportunity to play against higher-quality defenders and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt reiterated “Jacoby, again, is our starter.”

We shouldn’t read too much into this, but it is worth noting where the rookie currently stands in the pecking order. The Patriots don’t appear eager to rush Maye into anything he’s not comfortable with — especially this early into the offseason, allowing him to work behind Zappe on the first day of OTAs. Kyed also noted earlier that head coach Jerrod Mayo is impressed with the work Maye has put in since joining the team, saying that Maye has been spotted working by himself in the quarterback room to learn the offense. We wouldn’t expect Maye’s status as the QB3 to carry over into the regular season, but at least we know where he stands at this point in the offseason.