The New England Patriots first day of training camp is on Wednesday, and Tuesday morning head coach Mike Vrabel gave a positive injury update on a couple key defenders ahead of the 2025 season.
Patriots Get Encouraging News on Jahlani Tavai and Carlton Davis III at Training Camp originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The New England Patriots' first day of practice at training camp in 2025 will be on Wednesday, and head coach Mike Vrabel gave some positive injury updates when speaking to the media on Tuesday.
Two Patriots defenders who will likely play key roles in 2025 missed most of OTAs and minicamp due to injuries, but Vrabel told reporters on Tuesday that he expects them back for training camp.
Linebacker Jahlani Tavai suffered a calf injury early in spring practices and had to miss the rest of team activities. Initially, the worry was that Tavai would be out long-term, but now he should be back for training camp.
Mike Vrabel with updates: Expects Jahlani Tavai to be returning tomorrow, along with Carlton Davis III. https://t.co/ML8NNMoCcs
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) July 22, 2025
The Patriots signed cornerback Carlton Davis to a three-year, $54 million contract this offseason with the expectation he'd slot in opposite of young corner Christian Gonzalez to fortify the Patriots' secondary. However, Davis didn't participate in many offseason activities due to an undisclosed injury.
“There’s two lists that we’re working with now as it relates to the roster: the PUP list, which would be [tight end Austin] Hooper, [wide receiver Mack] Hollins, [offensive tackle] Vederian Lowe, and [linebacker Jahlani] Tavai. I would expect Tavai back out there tomorrow," Vrabel said on Tuesday morning (h/t Boston Herald) Those other three probably will be sometime after that. The NFI list, which would be Davis, [safety Josh] Minkins, and Webb. I would expect Davis and Webb back out there with us tomorrow, and then Minkins maybe a few more days.”
Tavai will likely be slotted to back up offseason addition Robert Spillane at inside linebacker, as Spillane will be the play-caller of the defense. But the linebacker could be a key player on New England's defense, especially if any injuries occur.
As for Davis, the Patriots' hope is for him to bring a veteran leadership presence to their secondary. The eighth-year NFL veteran spent the first six years of his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before playing for the Detroit Lions last year. Davis has been to the playoffs in four of his seven years in the league.
The Patriots begin training camp practice on Wednesday morning, and many eyes will be on the two defenders coming back from injury.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Football
