On Thursday night, quarterback Drake Maye made his NFL debut during garbage time, letting the time pass and getting extra practice in pre-season practice against a strong defense.

Does the move from Jacoby Brissett to Maye mean it’s now time for the dragon?

“Don’t know,” coach Jerod Mayo told reporters after the game, via Alex Barth of 98.5 The Sports Hub. “We talk about it every week… we get together as a coaching staff.”

Regarding the decision to bring Maye into the game, Mayo said: “I thought it was too good an opportunity for him to go out and let him gain some experience,” via Mark Daniels of MassLive.

That was it really. There was no rush to turn a 24-3 stinker into a game. They didn’t even use a timeout to make the final score a little more respectable.

Whether it’s next weekend in San Francisco or sometime after that, Maye’s time will come. It’s just a matter of when. And as the Bengals’ Week 1 surprise fades further and further into the rearview mirror, when will probably be sooner rather than later.