New England Patriots second-round draft pick Gabe Jacas played 19 defensive snaps in his NFL debut Wednesday night. For the most part, head coach Mike Vrabel liked what he saw.
“Continues to improve. I thought he was active, set some good edges in the run game. Good to see him make a nice play for a tackle for a loss,” Vrabel said. “Some good things. Some things we’ll have to coach and correct, and fix things on special teams. Thought it was an improvement.”
Jacas showed his motor by chasing down Seahawks
quarterback Drew Lock for his first career sack in the second quarter. Coming out of halftime, Jacas flashed his athleticism by getting into the backfield for a tackle for loss.
But another play caught the eye of his head coach, with Jacas diagnosing a run play against an unbalanced look and chasing down the ball carrier to record a tackle.
“Thought his most instinctive play since he’s been here was the unbalanced play in the red zone,” Vrabel explained. “They went for a speed break, tackle over in a little bunch to the boundary. They tried to block down on him and he just kind of reacted across the guys’ face and made a tackle for just a few yard gain.
“That was probably the play I was most pleased with. Said this a guy just out here playing.”
After missing the entire spring and start of training camp due to a procedure and contract dispute, things were expectedly moving quickly for Jacas upon his return. That included some consistent issues in the preseason when it came to play recognition.
The struggles left many wondering if Jacas’ Week 1 role would be diminished. But those inside the building noted that the extra preparation time ahead of the season opener was beneficial to Jacas and other younger players across the roster. Jacas felt similarly.
“The preseason definitely helped. Then coming into the game, the preparation that we had, like a week or two to prepare for this game. I was comfortable out there and just playing football,” he said post game.
The Patriots edge group — which currently features just four players on the active roster — was the position with the most question marks on the roster ahead of the season. The group got off to an overall strong start as free agent addition Dre’Mont Jones impressed in his Patriots’ debut, leading the team with seven pressures.
The early flashes from Jacas were then promising, and the 23-year building on that performance would be a welcomed development for the edge group.
“Not bad. I mean, there’s a lot of stuff I can clean up,” Jacas said of his performance. “First sack, first game. Not too bad, just look at the film when I get back and work on the things I need to work on. You know, just continue to improve as weeks go on.”
