Despite finishing 19th in pass rush win rate and 26th in sacks last year, the Patriots have not been ultra-aggressive in upgrading their group of outside linebackers this offseason. Their most notable moves have included swapping out K’Lavon Chaisson for Dre’Mont Jones in free agency and spending a second-round pick on Gabe Jacas.
Edge defenders such as Cameron Jordan, Joey Bosa, Jadeveon Clowney, Von Miller, Leonard Floyd and former Patriot Kyle Van Noy are among the accomplished veterans still looking for jobs. Any could help a team in need of a pass-rushing boost, but the Pats are not expected to add anyone between now and training camp, according to Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald. Head coach Mike Vrabel called his current cast “a good group” on Thursday.
Jones and Harold Landry, who led the AFC-winning Patriots with 8.5 sacks in 2025, are in line to start this season. A healthy Jacas could fall in line right behind them, but the problem is that the former Illinois standout has not been at full strength this spring.
Vrabel revealed earlier this week that Jacas, who has mostly been away from the team since the draft, is recovering from surgery. He didn’t go into detail, but it turns out Jacas had a cleanup procedure on his knee, Mike Reiss of ESPN reports. The surgery should not affect Jacas’ availability for 2026, per Reiss, who adds that he could be ready for training camp.
Along with his knee, there are other health-related questions with Jacas. He did not participate at the Combine in February or Illinois’ pro day in March as a result of a hamstring injury. There are also concerns that a labral tear in Jacas’ shoulder could need medical attention at some point, two sources from different NFL teams told Reiss. Additionally, there is a stress fracture in Jacas’ foot that might “worsen over time,” Reiss writes. Despite those problems, the two sources informed Reiss that their teams gave Jacas a passing grade on his physical.
While New England is hopeful Jacas will make an impact this year, it will have to get him under contract first. Jacas is the lone member of the Patriots’ nine-player draft class and the only second-rounder in the league who has not signed yet. As a result, he has not been with the team since rookie minicamp in early May. That largely stems from the fact that the Patriots have not given Jacas a standard “participation agreement,” which most rookies receive, Reiss relays. As Reiss explains, those agreements state that if a player a suffers an injury before inking his rookie deal, the team would still have to sign him to a pact based on the value of his draft slot.
As the 55th pick, Jacas is in line to receive around $8.6MM on his four-year accord. Most of it will be guaranteed, though there is more haggling required in this case because of his health questions.
If the Patriots aren’t confident Jacas will be ready when camp rolls around, perhaps they will take a harder look at the available group of free agent OLBs. As things stand, Jones, Landry, Elijah Ponder, Bradyn Swinson, Jesse Luketa and seventh-round rookie Quintayvious Hutchins are among in-house options who are under contract.