The New England Patriots were hard at work revamping their defense this offseason, with one of their more underrated signings in free agency being linebacker Jack Gibbens, who previously played for the team’s new head coach, Mike Vrabel, during his time with the Tennessee Titans.
Gibbens latched on with the Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2022, and while he played sparingly as a rookie, he earned a starting job in 2023. In 14 games, Gibbens racked up 95 tackles, one sack, and three passes batted for the Titans, showcasing what he’s capable of in a full-time role.
The 2024 campaign didn’t go as well for Gibbens, as he started only five of the 10 games he played in before suffering a season-ending ankle injury in Week 11. With New England reworking their linebacker room in the wake of Vrabel’s arrival, they scooped up Gibbens on a one-year, $1.3 million deal in free agency.
At inside linebacker, Gibbens will play a role alongside fellow free agent signing Robert Spillane, with team holdovers Christian Elliss and Jahlani Tavai also factoring into the mix. Put it all together, and Gibbens is very impressed with the group of players he has found himself working alongside.
“This is the smartest room I’ve ever been a part of,” Gibbens said when speaking to reporters on Monday, per Zack Cox of the Boston Herald.
While Gibbens may not start consistently for New England, his aggressive style of play is precisely what Vrabel is looking for at linebacker. Gibbens is a strong tackler who has a knack for finding his way into the backfield and making a big play.
It’s not a surprise to see that guys like Spillane and Elliss also share similar styles of play to what Gibbens offers. If all of these guys can adapt to Vrabel’s program and get on the same page, it will help the Patriots’ defense bounce back after an ugly 2024 campaign.
While things are going well for this group so far, there’s still a lot of work for them to do before the start of the season. Gibbens and the rest of the team will be back in action on Tuesday at 10:15 a.m. ET when they take the field for their next training camp practice.