New England Patriots 2026 second-round draft selection Gabe Jacas was absent from Tuesday’s mandatory minicamp practice. The Illinois product has yet to practice with the team this spring, previously already missing rookie minicamp as well as two weeks of OTA practices.
Jacas also sat out the NFL Combine and Illinois’ pro day due to a pre-draft hamstring injury, which Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel confirmed before practice.
“I don’t attribute it to anything other than he’s not here, and that he’s not under
contract at this current time,” Vrabel said on Jacas’ absence. “I don’t want to say that there’s a reason for it, other than that that’s what it is right now … He had a procedure, and he’s not under contract.”
Vrabel adds that he has not directly worked with Jacas “on the grass,” but the two communicated and met numerous times before the Patriots selected him 55th overall in the second round of late April’s NFL Draft.
“It hasn’t. Not one bit,” Vrabel said. “[I’ve] been excited to work with the players here and have learned that there are only so many things that you can control. [I’m] excited about the development of the guys in that room, the ones that have been here that are going into their second year, or the ones that we drafted, or the ones that we signed in the post-draft, or the ones that we signed in free agency.”
“We’re excited about Gabe, the person that he is, [his] play style, his production in college, and all that,” Vrabel said. “When that gets resolved, we’ll have him in here, and we’ll coach him. I’m sure we’ll find a way for him to help our football team.”
Looking at the depth chart, Jacas is poised to be a main contributor this season on the edge and potentially the rookie with the most responsibilities; however, the 22-year-old product still has yet to participate with the team or take mental reps on the sideline.
New England’s outside linebackers coach Mike Smith admits Jacas will have to catch up, but so will every new player.
“I mean, it would hurt anybody,” Smith said about Jacas missing time. “But he is a smart kid, and when he gets here, we’ll get rolling. I kind of stay away from whatever’s going on with him right now. But if we’re going to be honest, he does [need to catch up] a little bit, and that’s just something as a coach that you have to adapt to.”
Veteran Harold Landry, who’s still recovering from a procedure on his knee after an injury he sustained last season, was also absent. Still, it sounds like the team has a rehab plan in place that Landry is sticking to this offseason.
“Harold has played a lot of football,” Vrabel said. “This is all part of everyone having a little different plan … So, he’s heavily involved in the meetings and the workouts and in a leadership role. For him to take reps right now in the spring, I feel like [it] is unnecessary, and we’ll just keep working to make sure he’s ready to go when we need him.”
