It was long-awaited, but New England Patriots second-round pick Gabe Jacas has finally been practicing with the team during Training Camp. After a long offseason of struggling to sign him, not to mention injury concerns, it’s been good to see him get on the field and show what he can do.
Those injury concerns felt like they were a major reason for the holdup in getting him out on the field at times. Luckily, Jacas himself was able to share an injury update on Tuesday that he’s at full health.
“I’m 100 percent,” Jacas said.
It’s good news for a Patriots team that’s looking to improve rushing the passer this season. Still, Jacas has a long way to go to get up to speed after missing so much time already as a rookie.
New England Patriots Rookie Gabe Jacas Dealt with Injuries This Offseason
GettyNew England Patriots draft pick Gabe Jacas
Injuries became a major part of the storyline for Gabe Jacas and the New England Patriots this offseason because it appeared that it’s his injuries that kept him from signing a contract for so long.
At the time, reporting indicated that there was debate about the language within his contract due to the injuries he was dealing with. Jacas wouldn’t sign a participation agreement, either, despite it being fairly standard for rookies to sign before they have their initial contracts.
It was known in the pre-draft process that Jacas was dealing with a labral tear in his shoulder. What was less widely known was that he would need to get a procedure done to clean up his knee. He’s since had that and successfully rehabbed.
Jacas knows that this wasn’t the ideal start to his time with the Patriots, of course. So, the focus is now on getting up to speed with the team. As ESPN’s Mike Reiss put it, “Theme from OLB Gabe Jacas’ interview — prefer not to look back at delayed start to rookie year.”
Patriots HC Mike Vrabel on Where Gabe Jacas Stands
GettyNew England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel
One thing neither the Patriots nor Gabe Jacas wants is for his rookie season to resemble that of Cincinnati Bengals 2025 first-round pick Shemar Stewart. He would take his time signing his rookie deal and getting to practice before dealing with injuries that derailed his first NFL season.
Luckily, when Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was asked about Jacas, it looked like things were trending in a positive direction, even if they do need to make up for lost time.
“We’ve got some time to make up,” Vrabel said. “We’ve got to make up for lost time, I think, a little bit with Gabe. I’d say he’s working hard. I think he’s into it. He’s trying to learn, he’s focused. A lot of these things are new for him, and I think he has done a good job of controlling what he can control. I see him in there meeting with Smitty [Mike Smith] a lot – and again, there’s a return to play. He’ll have a few more reps than he did yesterday and – these situations he has to just understand, and it’s good to see him get acclimated to the special team stuff. So, I think it’s going well. I think we’re off to a good start, and hopefully he can continue to keep adding things and figure out where he can help us defensively and really, special teams.”
It will be interesting to see how much playing time and how productive Jacas is once preseason games start. The Patriots have their first on August 13th against the Indianapolis Colts.
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