The New England Patriots will lean more heavily on rookie Gabe Jacas in Sunday’s 1 p.m. ET road game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, with injuries continuing to reshape a roster that has already sent 16 players to injured reserve this league year.
Jacas, the second-round outside linebacker from Illinois, is positioned for a larger role as Dre’Mont Jones manages a shoulder injury and Quintayvious Hutchins has gone on injured reserve with a knee injury. New England enters the matchup at 1-1 after allowing only 16 points over its first two games, and the 22-year-old has quickly become a central part of that defensive start.
Jacas earns expanded opportunity
- Jacas missed the entire spring following a knee procedure, and a contract disagreement delayed his signing until the opening days of training camp.
- That absence put him behind schedule, and his aggressive preseason approach occasionally took him out of his assignment.
- He played 19 defensive snaps in the season-opening loss to Seattle, recording three tackles and a sack.
- His role grew to 49 snaps against Pittsburgh, when he made two tackles and intercepted Aaron Rodgers.
- The interception ended Rodgers’ NFL-best streak without a pick, which had lasted since Week 10 of last season.
Jacas’ interception reflected an adjustment he made after coaching. On a previous screen look, he drove toward the quarterback and left his feet. Mike Vrabel and outside linebackers coach Mike Smith instructed him to plant, retrace his path and pursue the ball instead. Jacas applied that lesson against Rodgers and came away with the turnover.
Vrabel also pointed to Jacas’ work against Steelers left tackle Troy Fautanu. Jacas engaged the 2024 first-round pick and allowed linebacker Christian Elliss to loop inside for a thunderous sack of Rodgers.
Smith said regular-season game planning has helped Jacas make the transition from preseason football. The coach remains high on the rookie’s temperament, describing him as “meaner than a wet mule,” while noting there is progress to make as a pass rusher. Jacas owns an 8% pass-rush win rate through two games.
Jacas traces his nonstop style to his wrestling background and his older brother, Khaliq, who coached him at Fort Pierce High School in Florida. A two-time state champion wrestler, Jacas said the sport taught him to keep working until a play is finished.
“That really came from when I started wrestling — having that relentless mindset to not be denied,” Jacas said. “You never know what can happen if you run to the ball.”
Khaliq later coached Jacas for two years after his own playing career at Florida International ended in 2019. Jacas said his brother first volunteered before becoming the school’s defensive line coach.
Sunday will bring Jacas back to Florida, though Jacksonville is well north of his Fort Pierce hometown. His mother, Paula Henry, Khaliq, other siblings, former wrestling coach Pat Seidel and other relatives and friends are expected to attend.
Second-year starting outside linebacker Elijah Ponder said Jacas’ desire to learn has been evident in meetings and on the field.
“Gabe is that guy you can just tell he loves football,” Ponder said. “He pays attention to detail and he’s ready to learn, he’s very coachable.”
Injuries test New England’s depth
New England has reached 16 injured-reserve placements in the 2026 league year, matching the club’s total for the entire 2025 season. The figure includes an injury settlement involving seventh-round pick Jam Miller.
Starting right guard Mike Onwenu was placed on injured reserve with a right ankle fracture, reserve safety Dell Pettus went on the list with an ankle injury, and Hutchins joined them Friday. Veteran Greg Van Roten replaced Onwenu and is expected to start at right guard against Jacksonville.
Vrabel said center Jared Wilson, a 2025 third-round selection from Georgia, must improve in pass protection after an uneven performance against Pittsburgh. The Patriots need a firmer interior pocket as quarterback Drake Maye continues to face defenses designed to limit explosive throws.
Maye working on patience
Opponents have challenged Maye to sustain longer drives, at times using Cover 6 looks with two deep safeties to keep the deep ball under control. Maye admitted he forced the issue in the fourth quarter at Seattle, when he threw three interceptions.
Quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant said Maye appeared more composed in Week 2 against the Steelers.
“Hopefully we can build off it,” Grant said.
Ramirez gets another NFL chance
- Jose Ramirez was released by Philadelphia on Aug. 30 and cleared waivers the following day.
- He had planned to fly home that evening before New England contacted him about joining its practice squad.
- Patriots scouting administration coordinator Courtney Weiner arranged a 6 a.m. flight for him the following morning and apologized for the early departure.
- Ramirez said he would have walked to Foxborough for another opportunity after injuries created an opening on the roster.
The outside linebacker spent 2023 and 2024 with Tampa Bay without establishing himself, played for the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2025, then was caught in a numbers squeeze with the Eagles. He has appeared in four NFL games and impressed New England coaches with his scout-team work before earning his current spot.
Notes from the Jaguars matchup
- Former Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai will face New England while serving as a core special teams player for Jacksonville. Tavai spent five seasons with the Patriots, and Vrabel said he enjoyed coaching him and getting to know his family. Special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer praised Tavai as a quality player and teammate who is still playing fast.
- Jaguars wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, who played for New England from 2019 through 2022, has faced his former club twice since leaving. In those games, he has 13 receptions for 158 yards and a touchdown. Defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr called Meyers’ route-running “crafty” and highlighted his physical style.
- Rookie linebacker Namdi Obiazor has five special teams tackles, tied for the most by a Patriot over his first two games since cornerback Willie Andrews had five in 2006. Since 2000, the NFL record for a rookie’s special teams tackles through three games is eight, set by Indianapolis defensive back Donald Strickland in 2003.
- Backup quarterback Tommy DeVito attended the offensive line’s weekly Thursday dinner at an Italian restaurant near Gillette Stadium. DeVito said spending time with the linemen matters to him, Maye and rookie quarterback Behren Morton as they build relationships with the players protecting them.
Lomu settling into New England
First-round pick Caleb Lomu, an Arizona native who played at Utah, said he has enjoyed his adjustment to the Boston area. He praised the city’s people, restaurants, cleanliness and the enthusiasm Patriots fans have shown him.
Traffic, however, has been a different experience. Lomu said a recent trip to Logan Airport to pick up his wife was expected to take 40 minutes but lasted about 70 minutes after he reached the underwater tunnel. The return trip took another 70 minutes, making the commute his least favorite part of life in New England so far.
