Tag: jahlani tavai

Two Patriots starters missing at lone bye week practice

LB Jahlani Tavai and T Vederian Lowe were both missing from the Patriots’ lone bye week practice

The New England Patriots were missing two starters on both sides of the ball at Tuesday’s practice.

Per Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan, linebacker Jahlani Tavai and offensive tackle Vederian Lowe were not present at the team’s lone practice session of the bye week.

Tight end Hunter Henry practiced, but he was limited on the field.

The Patriots are still licking their wounds from Sunday’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts. They blew a lead late in the fourth quarter on a 19-play, 80-yard game-winning drive by the visiting Colts.

Lowe has been banged up all season with multiple injuries. There’s hope that a week of rest will get the entire team as close to 100 percent as possible. They have gone 13 weeks straight of NFL games, and this should give them time to take a step back, breathe and hit the reset button.

There are only four games left on the regular season schedule for the Patriots. They’ll face the Arizona Cardinals on the road when they return, and then they have a matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers sandwiched in between two AFC clashes with the Buffalo Bills.

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WATCH: Patriots LB Jahlani Tavai robs Titans scoring drive with interception

Jahalani Tavai spoils Titans scoring drive

New England Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai recorded his first interception of the season on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. Tavai picked off a pass from Titans quarterback Mason Rudolph in the end zone and stopped a potential scoring drive.

He currently leads the team in tackles, but on this play in particular, Tavai showed he can make plays against the pass as well.

It was a crucial play with Tennessee looking to go up 14 points and take complete control of the game. Instead, he helped get the ball back to the Patriots’ offense, resulting in a scoring drive on a field goal.

The defense has put together stronger performances in recent weeks, particularly at the linebacker position. Tavai’s interception was a continuation of that effort.

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Former Patriots Super Bowl champ has high praise for LB Jahlani Tavai

Former Super Bowl champ praised the Jahlani Tavai contract extension

Former New England Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich praised Jahlani Tavai and his recent contract extension, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

Ninkovich approved of the move to keep Tavai, who has become a staple of the Patriots defense.

Tavai had a solid season last year for New England. He recorded 110 tackles, a sack and two forced fumbles. He was a dynamic playmaker on the Patriots’ linebackers unit and had two games with at least 10 tackles. One of them was a 15-tackle effort against the Pittsburgh Steelers last December.

Ninkovich knows the value of a strong defensive player, and he is pleased with the linebacker’s career trajectory to this point.

“I love his energy. He plays hard. You need a guy like that who can do multiple things, but also get everyone in the right spots,” said Ninkovich, via Reiss. “He’s been in this system long enough where he understands his role so well that he can help others.

“…Him and Bent [Ja’Whaun Bentley] having played together for the last three years, that’s a good thing to keep that going. I think he has a higher ceiling and that could soon become an undervalued contract.”

The contract itself could indeed have a lot of value considering Tavai has already proven himself to be a strong fit in the Patriots’ defensive system.

Continued production will be important with the team still trying to figure things out on the offensive side of the football.

Ex-Lions LB Jahlani Tavai gets a nice payday from the Patriots

Tavai struggled in his two seasons in Detroit but has found a productive place in New England’s LB corps

The name Jahlani Tavai does not conjure up fond memories for the Detroit Lions. As a second-round pick by the Lions in the 2019 NFL Draft, the linebacker from Hawaii failed to live up to the expectations commensurate with being the No. 43 overall pick.

Tavai washed out of Detroit after two underwhelming seasons in Matt Patricia’s defense. He struggled with the speed-in-space of the NFL game and failed to make the Lions in 2021, the first year of the Dan Campbell regime.

It took some time for Tavai to find his NFL footing, but the linebacker has emerged as a good starter for the New England Patriots. Now, New England has rewarded Tavai with a three-year contract extension worth as much as $21 million. Tavai, now 27, racked up over 100 tackles, intercepted two passes and forced two fumbles.

The $15 million base extension is slightly more than what the Lions are paying 2023 first-round rookie Jack Campbell for the same timeframe. It’s a good redemptive deal for Tavai, who has made himself into a quality NFL starter after a very inauspicious start for the Lions.

 

Instant analysis of LB Jahlani Tavai agreeing to extension with Patriots

Instant analysis of the Patriots extending Jahlani Tavai

The torrential downpour of green bills continued to fall on New England Patriots’ in-house pending free agents with the team agreeing to a three-year extension with linebacker Jahlani Tavai on Tuesday.

Per ESPN’s Mike Reiss and Adam Schefter, the new deal is worth $15 million in base value, but it’ll carry a maximum value of $21 million.

It’s a much-deserved extension for Tavai, one of the NFL’s most underrated linebackers last season. He routinely made plays for the Patriots’ defense with 110 total tackles, one sack, five pass deflections, two interceptions and two forced fumbles.

An argument could be made that he should have received his first Pro Bowl nod last season. It’s hard to stand out on a 4-13 team, but Tavai made every effort to do so for the Patriots.

It isn’t his fault everyone wasn’t paying attention.

Tavai staying in New England for the foreseeable future helps ensure the defense will continue to be productive. The team also extended Christian Barmore, Kyle Dugger and Anfernee Jennings in the offseason. So the foundation for the future has been set at every level on the Patriots’ defense.

Tavai’s 86.6 overall defensive grade by Pro Football Focus ranked in the top-10 of all NFL linebackers. Perhaps the best part is the fact that he is an ascending NFL talent at 27 years old.

So the Patriots are locking up a player trending towards being elite before the rest of the market gets to pitch him offers in 2025. Tavai gets the security of having a contract in place, and the Patriots get the security of keeping a really talented player on their roster.

It’s one of the biggest win-wins of the offseason.

Report: Patriots, LB Jahlani Tavai agree to three-year extension

Jahani Tavai will remain a member of the Patriots for the foreseeable future

The New England Patriots agreed to a three-year extension with linebacker Jahlani Tavai on Tuesday, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss and Adam Schefter. The extension has a base value of $15 million and can be worth up to $21 million.

Tavai was a key cog in the Patriots’ defense last season. He recorded 65 tackles, a sack, two forced fumbles and two interceptions in 2023.

He first came to New England after being released by the Detroit Lions back in September 2021. New England signed him to their practice squad and promoted him to the active roster on October 13.

He signed a two-year, $4.4 million extension with the Patriots in November 2022.

This move ensures continuity and consistency on the defense.

The Patriots organization has made it a priority to re-sign in-house players this offseason. Tavai is a player who certainly fits the bill of a present and future difference-maker on the roster.

At only 27 years old, he’ll look to continue his upward trajectory for a Patriots team leaning heavily on the production of its defense to be competitive.

Patriots defender recognized as one of NFL’s most underappreciated players

One of the Patriots’ defensive standouts gets listed as one of the NFL’s most underappreciated players

The New England Patriots have many talented players on the defensive side of the ball. Some have even flown under the radar, such as linebacker Jahlani Tavai, who got his flowers in a recent piece by NFL.com’s Gennaro Filice.

When picking the most underappreciated players for every NFL team, Filice landed on the veteran defender for New England.

Tavai has been a rock for a Patriots linebacker unit that has consistently played at a high level. The second-round draft pick for the Detroit Lions has really found his role in New England. He is coming off a career season with 110 total tackles, one sack, five pass deflections and two forced fumbles.

Filice wrote:

A reserve in his first season with New England, Tavai emerged as a starter in 2022 and then took his game to a whole other level this past year. In fact, among LBs with at least 500 snaps, Tavai posted the fourth-best PFF grade, ahead of such linebacking luminaries as C.J. Mosley, Bobby Wagner and Roquan Smith.

Tavai’s development from complementary piece to key cog on defense has been noticeable. And to think, a little less than three years ago, he was released by the Detroit Lions.

The turnaround has been exceptional with Tavai, who should only get better with time and experience.

Patriots veteran one of four highest-graded linebackers by PFF in 2023

Turn on the tape, and you’ll see why Jahlani Tavai was the most underrated defensive player in the NFL in 2023

New England Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai was the fourth-highest graded linebacker in the NFL in 2023, per Pro Football Focus.

Tavai was one of the unsung heroes of a Patriots defense that ranked in the top-10, despite the 4-13 finish by the team. The unit held up its end in keeping things competitive on the field, but they failed to overcome one of the worst offenses in the league.

Tavai was a game-changer and constant disruptor when he was on the field. Former coach Bill Belichick clearly noticed it due to the sudden uptick in snap count. Tavai’s usage rate jumped 24 percent from the previous season to him being used in 74 percent of the Patriots’ defensive snaps.

He finished the season with 110 total tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and five pass deflections. His 86.6 PFF grade only ranks behind Tyrel Dodson, Fred Warner and Demario Davis.

Tavai is entering the peak of his career, and he’ll have added motivation playing in a contract year in 2024. The veteran linebacker is positioned to make some serious noise for a Patriots defense that is never mistaken for a pushover.

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Angry Steelers fans think team was cheated vs Patriots on this call

Steelers fans think they were cheated out of this call against the Patriots.

Pittsburgh Steelers fans are still furious over the false start penalty called against long snapper Christian Kuntz late in the fourth quarter of Thursday night’s game against the New England Patriots.

The call came on a 4th-and-2 situation when the Steelers were attempting to punt the ball away. When watching the video, it looks like Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai jumped offsides early, but the call ended up going the other way on the field.

It was a big break for a Patriots team that had multiple mistakes on special teams throughout the night. This one, however, would have given the Steelers offense a new set of downs and another chance to put points on the board.

There’s no love lost between the Patriots and Steelers. So it didn’t come as any surprise to see Steelers fans taking to social media to call out the officiating in the loss.

We’ve compiled some of the best reactions to the controversial call on here.

5 big takeaways from Patriots 10-6 loss vs Colts in Germany

5 big takeaways from the Patriots dropping their eighth loss of the season on Sunday to the Colts.

The New England Patriots traveled to Germany on Sunday to take on the Indianapolis Colts. It was a fitting game for a crowd used to low scoring “football,” as both teams combined for just one touchdown and four total scores throughout the contest.

And the 10-6 final scoreline reflected terribly on the Patriots. New England’s defense shut down the Indianapolis offense throughout the entire game, but just could not muster a shred of offense on their end to complement the defensive unit.

The game ultimately ended in an ugly manner for the Patriots, with quarterbacks Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe each throwing bad interceptions late in the game that sealed the loss for New England.

Here are five big takeaways from the game.