Gabe Jacas participates in first practice
· Yahoo Sports
Patriots rookie outside linebacker Gabe Jacas made his NFL practice debut Saturday.
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After starting training camp on the active/non-football injury list, Jacas passed his physical and returned to the practice field.
“We’ll get Gabe back today,” Mike Vrabel said Saturday morning. “He’ll be out there in a limited role. We’ve talked to you about the return to play protocol that we have, and so now he gets handed over to the coaches, and that’ll be in a limited role. He won’t be involved in the team reps, but hopefully Monday, we’ll see him back out there.”
The beginning of Jacas’ Patriots career has been turbulent after being drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft this spring.
After missing the offseason workout program following a knee procedure, Jacas was one of the last draft picks in the league to sign his rookie contract — a deal that included an uncommon injury waiver.
Since signing his contract last Saturday, Jacas has been focused on his return-to-play rehab. Vrabel shared the rookie did not enjoy being sidelined, which quickly became evident during his first practice when he bulldozed outside linebackers coach Mike Smith during an individual drill.
Gabe Jacas is off to a hot start pic.twitter.com/wHCwQDlMJF
— Matt Dolloff (@RealMattDolloff) August 1, 2026
“He loves football. He’s been itching to get back,” Vrabel said. “He texts me all the time. He texts me late at night, ‘Hey, am I going to practice tomorrow?’ I’m like, ‘No, just like I told you at 6:30 last night or tonight that you’re not going to practice tomorrow. You don’t have to text me at 10:00 and ask again. The answer is still no, not yet.’
“You want that. You want guys that are looking for ways in as opposed to looking for ways out. I think he just wants to get out there, get acclimated and be with his teammates. That is all he wants to do. He just wants to play football.”
The Patriots will be off on Sunday before returning to the practice fields on Monday.