It's finally time for the Patriots to begin training camp, and there are many questions about the future of the roster.
With time, it will be clear what direction they're going in, but with injuries continuing to be an issue with some starters, including Harold Landry, and contractual issues surrounding Christian Gonzalez and rookie Gabe Jacas, the team is facing some potentially awkward situations.
Fortunately, the cornerback arrived at the team facility on Friday and is expected to participate in training camp in some capacity, although many analysts believe he might begin a hold in as negotiations continue.
The same cannot be said about Jacas, who wasn't present on Friday and isn't expected to be around any time soon. That prompted reporters to immediately ask Vrabel for updates about the pass rusher, and while it was good that the head coach had some news to share, it was far from what Patriots fans were hoping for.
Mike Vrabel provides some clarity on when we should expect to see Gabe Jacas join the team
While speaking to the media on Friday morning, Vrabel emphasized his desire to see Jacas finally join the team, since he hasn't been at the facility for the last few months, but also stated that they are still going through the process of getting him signed.
The silver lining of it all is that he feels the conversations have been productive and he is "positive" that everything will be resolved.
“Hopefully, we’ll get him in here sooner rather than later. I’m not going to put a timeline on it or a time frame. I’ve spoken to Gabe personally and am excited to get him in when he’s under contract.
There are contractual issues that come up and a lot of things that occur throughout those rookie contracts. But every contract is unique, every contract is different, and it’ll get resolved. I’m positive that it will.”
That's certainly promising, but the fact that he doesn't have a legitimate update or any timetable to provide is a bit concerning, especially since the Patriots are noticeably lacking depth at edge rusher, hence the reason Jacas was drafted.
He would have had a major opportunity to make a name for himself immediately with Landry sidelined by injury if he had been present at the start of camp, but instead, Jacas remains away, and we have no idea when he will finally make his way to Foxboro.
It's an undesirable situation for all, and it's unfortunate that Vrabel doesn't have a more concrete timeline for when this will finally end.
The hope is that Jacas and the Patriots will reach an agreement as soon as possible, so we can finally see what the rookie can do and get him acclimated to the NFL, rather than going into training camp for much longer and creating even more issues for his rookie season.
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