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A detailed view of the helmets of New England Patriots prior to the game against the New York Giants at Gillette Stadium on October 10, 2019.

New England Patriots rookie Gabe Jacas has not been at OTA’s or minicamp over the past couple weeks. Now, we might have an answer as to why. ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported this in his Sunday notes column earlier this week.

Timeline For Patriots Rookie

Jacas reported to the Patriots facility on May 7 with the rest of the rookies. At the time, he was not signed to a contract. However, other unsigned rookies, like first-round selection Caleb Lomu participated in practice anyways. The edge rusher did not, which signaled that he was not medically cleared to do so.

His injuries stemmed from a hamstring injury in the pre-draft process that forced him to miss the NFL combine and the Illinois pro day in March. The defender was healthy enough to work out at his personal pro day, per Reiss.

Jacas then underwent a “clean up.” It is not known whether the procedure happened before he was examined and rechecked at the combine, or if it happened when the Patriots had him in for his predraft visit during the week of April 20. Either way, the timeline surrounding this procedure remains a bit of a mystery.

In this case, the overall holdup here is medical-related.

Either way, the Patriots are in a position where they could wait for more information. This could explain the holdup in his being signed, as the Patriots wait for more information medically. Reiss notes that the procedure should not threaten Jacas’s availability for the 2026 season, and that there is hope that he will be ready for training camp, which is scheduled to begin at the end of July.

Patriots Edge Rusher Outlook

This is certainly an interesting development, especially as the Patriots drafted the rookie to help them out at the edge position. However, the patriots addressed it in other ways as well. They signed Baltimore Ravens free-agent Dre’Mont Jones, bringing in some veteran experience at the position. They also brought in Arizona Cardinals edge defender Jesse Luekta to help in terms of depth.

Either way, the impact that the Patriots’ edge rushers had on the defense last season should not be ignored. They were a major part of what the Patriots did defensively. The team overall had 35 sacks on the year; The edge rushers had 17.5 of those sacks on the season. Harold Landy III led the team in that category is 8.5 on the year.

It sounds like Jacas will be ready to go in July. If he is not ready to go, the Patriots have other options such as Landry and Jones, to help offset the loss. With that being said, Jacas is a major part of what the Patriots wanted to accomplish at the position. His absence for any length of time would be notable, especially with preseason contests coming up. However, it doesn’t appear like he is trending that way for now.