Gibbens is one of the new additions to the Patriots’ linebacker room.
Even though he had started 20 games during his three-year tenure in Tennessee and played a role on both defense and special teams, the Titans decided not to tender Jack Gibbens as a restricted free agent this offseason. As a consequence, the former rookie free agent found his way to the New England Patriots this offseason.
The move did not just reunite him with his former head coach, Mike Vrabel, it also allowed Gibbens to join what he referred to as the “smartest” linebacker room he has experienced.
“Almost everybody in our room has started games in the NFL. It’s great having a lot of veteran guys that know what they’re doing,” Gibbens said following Monday’s training camp practice.
“This is the smartest room I’ve ever been a part of, definitely. Everybody’s locked in, hungry for more, hungry for more. It’s really comfortable out there no matter who you’re playing with. You know that guy knows what he’s doing, and we can help each other out.”
Coming off a challenging season, the Patriots rebuilt their linebacker corps this offseason both on and off the field. Assistant coaches Zak Kuhr and Mike Smith were brought aboard to work with the unit, as were free agents Gibbens and Robert Spillane — the latter already establishing himself as a future team captain and tone-setter on defense.
Among the off-ball linebackers, the two are complemented by returning veterans Jahlani Tavai and Christian Elliss, DB-turned-LB Marte Mapu, and depth options Monty Rice (another ex-Titan) and Cam Riley. Outside of the undrafted rookie Riley, every player in the room has starting experience at the NFL level.
According to Gibbens, this experience is what set the Patriots’ current linebacker group apart from others he has been a part of.
“Just the way that our meetings — everybody’s got questions,” he said. “We’re not going over just the basics of the playbook, Xs and Os, like ‘This is your job.’ It’s, ‘If I get this player, they have this type of player here, what kind of adjustments can we get to?’ It’s just next-level stuff that you only get with veteran guys that have been around. We’re not so worried about, ‘This is where I need to line up, and this is my key, and this is my job.’ We’re taking it next level, and we’ve been doing that since back in OTAs.”
As opposed to other members of the group like Spillane, Tavai and Elliss, Gibbens’ spot on the team seems less secure. However, the 26-year-old has been able to make some positive plays through five practices so far this summer and also appears to be poised for a core role in the kicking game.
Gibbens remaining part of the room through at least the duration of his one-year, $1.3 million contract therefore seems like a realistic possibility at this point in time.