Training camp is right around the corner, and that means the Patriots will have a lot of tough decisions to make regarding their roster. It will be the first time Mike Vrabel and Co. have a real look at what the players can do in a real practice, and will ultimately dictate who makes the team versus who won't.
There are plenty of roster battles expected to be the talk of the summer, with the receiving corps being near the top of the list. But with the additions in free agency and the draft, there will inevitably be a rise in competition on the defense, which is already making it look like one Patriots veteran could quickly be on the outside looking in.
Suffering an injury during spring practices set Jahlani Tavai behind. It allowed for other linebackers to step in and take the spotlight, and that's not a great sign for his New England future. It already has some insiders, like Boston Sports Journal's Greg Bedard, suggesting Tavai could be an easy cut candidate once training camp begins, and that puts a lot of pressure on him to outshine his teammates as soon as he can return.
Jahlani Tavai could be in for a brutal summer to make the Patriots' 2025 roster
The longtime Patriots reporter spoke about Tavai's potential future during a recent episode of his podcast, expressing his belief that the linebacker could be cut or traded in the near future.
“I still think he could get deal. But as of right now, I think the the new Patriots coaches see him, the more they’re going to realize that he’s not really a fit for them, and that maybe a more veteran team, maybe somebody that suffers an injury decides, You know what? Let’s go get Tavai to make sure we’re covered. He’s a veteran, he’s seen a lot. He’s won a lot of games with the Patriots at times. So maybe he would be better. I still think he’s trade bait.”
Keeping veterans on the team who are familiar with the system and have been successful as recently as last year is key for a team undergoing a rebuild like the Patriots. So Tavai might be more valuable on the roster than elsewhere, as Bedard points out.
However, because some of the players the team signed earlier this offseason, like former Titans' Jack Gibbens and Monty Rice, there's a chance in Bedard's mind that either could potentially easily replace Tavai, making his chance to make the 2025 roster a bit more difficult.
“I don’t remember Jack Gibbens playing a ton of middle linebacker during the offseason practices, but both Gibbens and Rice have a background with the Titans and the scheme. They know them really well. I want to say Monty Rice is more the middle linebacker, but I think Gibbens can do both. And I’ll be interested to see in training camp how many snaps he gets as middle linebacker.
If they feel good about Gibbens and/or Monty Rice, which it would not be a shock, I have both of those guys on my roster for this reason where they’re just like, ‘All right, well, if something happens, Gibbens and Rice can play both inside linebacker spots, and we can be okay,'” said Bedard. “But I do wonder if they give a healthy Jahlani Tavai, a little bit more of an opportunity to perhaps prove that he could be.”
Given their history with the team that Vrabel was last the head coach for, it seems fair to assume they might have a leg up over Tavai to make the roster. However, he did receive a new contract from the Patriots just last season that doesn't make him a free agent until 2028. Cutting or trading him doesn't save them much in cap space either, so neither situation seems favorable to either side.
It will likely come down to how he looks coming back from his calf injury, which he is expected to be ready to go at the start of training camp later this month. If he can demonstrate how he earned that new contract last year, especially since 2024 was one of the best seasons of his career, then there's no reason to believe Tavai won't make the roster.
That doesn't mean he won't have an uphill battle, though.