New England Patriots second-round pick Gabe Jacas has seen his workload steadily increase since making his training camp debut on Saturday. Tuesday marked the rookie’s highest participation level yet after signing his rookie contract on July 26, being one of the final two rookies in the NFL to reach a deal
Jacas saw a handful of reps with the second-team defense during team periods on Tuesday and was also out on the field for the unit’s end-of-practice two-minute drill, holding Tommy DeVito’s offense
to a successful field goal attempt with 1:05 on the clock.
“First and foremost, I just want to say how grateful I am to be here,” Jacas said after practice. “It was a long journey, but I’m just glad to be here, be part of this organization, be at practice and run around.”
The Illinois product dealt with a pre-draft hamstring injury; however, ESPN’s Mike Reiss wrote in June that Jacas also underwent a cleanup knee procedure. Furthermore, the Patriots inserted a left knee injury waiver into his rookie deal, as later reported by Reiss.
When frequently asked about his medical status and missing extensive time with the team this offseason, Jacas repeatedly said that situation is behind him, and his knee is “good.”
“I mean, it doesn’t matter. All that stuff is behind me, and whatever happened in the past is just the past. Trying to look forward and focus on the future … I’m 100%. Whenever they tell me I’m good to go, I just go.”
The 22-year-old later added that he doesn’t have any long-term concerns with his knee.
“We’ve got to make up for lost time, I think, a little bit with Gabe,” head coach Mike Vrabel said Tuesday of what he’s seen from the rookie. “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.
“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 teams stuff. 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.”
Vrabel has spent extensive one-on-one time with Jacas working on punt team reps to make sure the rookie is caught up in that area. He explained it’s one of the toughest things for young players to learn.
And in that process of Jacas getting acclimated to the team environment, it’s clear his relationships with his coaches are growing.
“You can tell Vrabel’s a very hands-on coach,” he said. “I’m just appreciative that he can just take me to the side and teach me a couple techniques and [how to] be a better punt protector so I can be better for this team.”
During Jacas’ first practice on Saturday, he accidentally bull-rushed through outside linebackers coach Mike Smith’s blocking pad. Smith fell to the ground as the rookie showed off the brute power that made him a standout player at Illinois with 27 career collegiate sacks.
One practice later, on Monday, Smith got his revenge during a drill, wrapping Jacas up and tackling the rookie onto a landing pad as the two threw fake punches at one another.
“That wasn’t my intention,” Jacas said about knocking Smith over. “But when you’re just getting off the ball and violent, stuff like that happens. That’s what happens when you’re coached by Mike Smith, who is a very good coach.”
Before Jacas’ first session with the team, Vrabel revealed last week that outside linebacker would continuously text him late at night after signing his rookie contract, asking if he was practicing the next day.
Jacas told the media that it came from his eagerness to practice and play football again.
“I just want to let all the Patriots fans know that I’m all behind everybody, and you’re going to get the best player out of me each and every game,” Jacas said in his message to the fan base. “And just anything I can do to help the team win, then I’m going to do it. Whatever it takes.”
