The veteran linebacker is down over 10 pounds from his listed playing weight.
Under the two previous regimes led by Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo, the New England Patriots valued size at the linebacker position. With a new coaching staff in town, however, comes a new approach to playing defense.
Mike Vrabel wants his defense to be lighter and faster at the second level, and his team’s free agency additions reflect that. Robert Spillane and Jack Gibbens are listed at a respective 229 and 242 pounds, noticeably lighter than the previous starting tandem of Ja’Whaun Bentley and Jahlani Tavai: the two veterans both played at above 250.
At least one of them is taking measures to increase his chances of fitting with the new-look unit, though. According to a report by Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal, Bentley has purposefully slimmed down this offseason and is now more than 10 pounds below his previous playing weight.
A fifth-round draft pick by the Patriots in 2018, Bentley entered the league as a thumper at the linebacker position best suited for early-down work. Through the years, he expanded his repertoire to become a three-down player as well as the unit’s eventual leader and on-field signal caller.
How his role will change with Vrabel and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams rebuilding the defense from a schematic perspective remains to be seen. The longtime captain seemingly is not taking any chances, though: moving from his listed weight of 250 to around 230 pounds should help him meet the requirements to earn a role on defense.
For the 28-year-old transforming his body in that way is a new experience.
While the weight announced by the team cannot always be fully trusted, Bentley consistently hovered around 250 during his previous seven seasons in New England. He stood at 255 pounds for his first four years, before dropping down to 244 in 2022, and returning back up to 250 for the 2023 and 2024 campaigns.
Now in his 230s, the hope is that Bentley, who missed most of 2024 with a pectoral injury, will continue playing a prominent role for the Patriots defense both on and off the field.