Back at the start of training camp, one of the most anticipated 2026 draft picks by the New England Patriots was bordering on a disaster. Second-round edge defender Gabe Jacas had barely been with the team throughout the spring program due to a dispute over language in his rookie contract.
Three months later, Jacas hasn’t only made up for lost time — he might be making a case to enter the Defensive Rookie of the Year conversation.
He’s been that good through seven games, including in Thursday night’s loss to the Chicago Bears, a game that featured few bright spots for the Patriots’ defense.
If fans remember any play from Jacas against the Bears, it’s most likely his late hit on Caleb Williams well after the ball was thrown that resulted in a 15-yard penalty and aided a Chicago scoring drive.
That mental blunder aside, Jacas had another impactful night, flashing the skill set of a true every-down edge.
Jacas had a season-high five pressures, often attacking Caleb Williams’ blind side. He’s now up to 21 pressures, 14 hurries, and 1.5 sacks according to Pro Football Focus.
Gabe Jacas is quickly becoming the impact defender Mike Vrabel envisioned
PFF is extremely high on Jacas. He’s the site's top-graded player for the Patriots among defenders with at least 60 snaps. Jacas’ 15.7% pass rush win rate metric ranked No. 1 among all rookie edge defenders entering Week 7, and he’s yet to notch his first career NFL start.
Mike Giardi of Boston Sports Journal called Jacas a future star.
“If he keeps trending in this direction, I wouldn’t be surprised,” Giardi wrote. “I had him for three pressures, consistently stout at the point of attack, and opposing offensive coordinators who think they can block him with a tight end should be forced to watch this tape. Yes, that roughing penalty was one of the dumbest plays of the season — the ball was out like 2 seconds earlier — and he was so lost on the Burden jet sweep in the red zone, but otherwise, this is one bad man.”
The early odds for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year don’t yet favor Jacas, but that could change if he continues on this trajectory and starts commanding a higher snap share. He’s only played 57% of the Patriots' defensive snaps this season.
That’s a strong number when you consider Jacas’ slow start to the offseason. To his credit, he made up for lost time pretty quickly, played in all three preseason games, and logged 19 snaps in the season opener against Seattle.
He’s averaged 38.1 snaps per game since, and while there’s been serious buzz about his play in recent weeks, he’s not yet considered in the same weight class as No. 2 overall pick David Bailey of the Jets, at least not in terms of Defensive Rookie of the Year odds. Per ESPN, Bailey is currently the odds-on favorite at +190. Jacas is currently off the radar.
Bailey has the better pedigree and raw numbers at this point, with five sacks and three forced fumbles. But you could already make the case that Jacas is the second-best edge in the class and quietly gaining ground by the week. He’s quick, powerful, instinctive against play action and misdirection, and has been a force in the run game with 13 stops.
Jacas’ Patriots tenure got off to a less-than-ideal start, but it’s becoming clearer by the day that head coach Mike Vrabel and company targeted the right player for this defense. Jacas is currently on a trajectory to be a franchise edge for the Patriots for the foreseeable future.
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