New England quarterback Jacoby Brissett, right, is currently the No. 1 quarterback for the Patriots, but rookie Drake Maye is still in the running to be the starter in Week 1. Reba Saldanha/Associated Press

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots will decide on their starting quarterback shortly after their third and final preseason game Sunday against the Commanders.

Coach Jerod Mayo said Wednesday that the Patriots should decide whether Jacoby Brissett or Drake Maye will be their starting quarterback by early next week.

“I would say by Monday night, we should know who the quarterback is,” Mayo said. “Sunday night game, it’s always kind of hard to crank through the film, especially on the road, but I think Monday, Monday-Tuesday, we probably need to know who it is.”

That doesn’t mean that Mayo will make the announcement at that time, however.

Brissett has taken all first-team reps in both training camp and the preseason, but Maye has shown considerable improvement in the last week. The Patriots consider Monday to be the final day of training camp, with the rest of this week serving as a hybrid while they prepare for the Commanders.

“It’s still a competition, and Jacoby is still QB1,” Mayo said. “It’s a competition amongst all of the guys on the field, including the quarterback spot. Hopefully that makes sense to you guys, but he’s still QB1.”

The decision will be made collaboratively between Mayo, executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf, and the offensive coaching staff.

It would be an upset if Maye took the reins for the Week 1 opener against the Bengals on Sept. 8, but Mayo does believe that the rookie can run the huddle.

“I think anyone can see the confidence growing in Drake, and anyone can see Jacoby go out here, and as a total body of work, do a good job,” Mayo said.

All four quarterbacks – including Joe Milton III and Bailey Zappe – are expected to play in Sunday’s preseason finale.

n New England released defensive tackle Mike Purcell three weeks after signing him, the team announced. He was absent during Wednesday’s practice.

Purcell was brought in after Christian Barmore was diagnosed with blood clots. With no timetable for his return, New England needed some depth at the position. Purcell was playing behind Davon Godchaux, Jeremiah Pharms, Daniel Ekuale and Trysten Hill during training camp.

SAINTS: New Orleans signed former Patriots second-round draft pick Joejuan Williams, giving the Saints some depth at cornerback while Kool-Aid McKinstry misses time because of a knee injury.

New England drafted Williams with the No. 45 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-3 Williams was projected to be a physical outside cornerback who could match up with bigger receivers, but he struggled to crack the lineup over his first four NFL seasons.

DOLPHINS: All-Pro receiver Tyreek Hill likely won’t play in Miami’s preseason finale due to a thumb injury that also kept him out of drills during Wednesday’s joint practice with the Buccaneers.

The injury is not considered serious. But Dolphins Coach Mike McDaniel said he is being cautious with the star player because the team doesn’t want to risk making it worse.

BRONCOS: Denver’s unconventional quarterback competition concluded when Coach Sean Payton walked up to his QBs during warmups and informed them that rookie Bo Nix had won the starting job.

“He smiled,” Payton said of 12th overall pick out of Oregon and sixth quarterback selected in the 2024 NFL draft. “We were getting ready to practice, and that was it. You know, we didn’t have cake and candles or anything like that.”

Nix, who started an NCAA QB-record 61 times at Oregon and Auburn, has led the Broncos to scores on six of the seven drives he’s directed in the preseason. He has completed 77% of his passes for 205 yards and a pair of touchdowns, with no interceptions and a 116.7 passer rating.

LIONS: Detroit offensive tackle Penei Sewell left practice because of a foot injury, potentially a major setback for a team with high expectations.

Sewell, an All-Pro last season, was evaluated by the team’s medical staff after leaving the practice field. Detroit has a lot invested in Sewell, who’s entering his fourth season. He signed a four-year, $112 million extension in the offseason to stay under contract with the franchise through 2029.

CARDINALS: Arizona signed starting center Hjalte Froholdt to a two-year contract that will keep him with the team through 2026.

The 6-foot-5, 310-pounder started all 17 games at center last season, helping the team run for 5.02 yards per carry, which ranked second in the NFL. The team announced the signing on Wednesday.

Froholdt joined the team as a free agent last season after playing for both New England and Cleveland. He was a fourth-round draft pick in 2019 out of Arkansas. A Denmark native, the 28-year-old started playing football in the U.S. during his sophomore year of high school as a foreign exchange student in Warren, Ohio.

BROWNS: Deshaun Watson is dealing with “general arm soreness,” a development that could impact whether Cleveland’s quarterback makes his preseason debut this week.

The Browns stopped Watson from throwing during Wednesday’s practice.

“Deshaun was a little sore,” Coach Kevin Stefanski said. “I decided to just hold back a little bit with him, but not overly concerned.”

Watson had surgery in November to repair a fractured socket bone in his throwing shoulder that ended his second season with Cleveland after just six starts. He’s thrown all but one day during training camp but did not play in the first two exhibitions.

RETIRED: Linebacker Markus Golden announced his retirement after nine seasons, mostly with the Cardinals.

Golden, a second-round pick by Arizona out of Missouri in 2015, had 51 career sacks, including a career-best 121/2 for the Cardinals in 2016.

He spent last season with the Steelers, playing 16 games with four sacks.