The New England Patriots could get back a veteran linebacker this week.

Jahlani Tavai, who was placed on injured reserve to start the 2025 season, is set to practice this week, opening his 21-day window.

“I expect him to practice,” Vrabel said. “I don’t have an update on the game but he will return to practice.”

He suffered a calf injury during 11-on-11 drills in June. The team also has an open spot on the 53-man roster, which is expected to be reserved for Tavai.

Tavai began his career with the Detroit Lions, being drafted in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft out of the University of Hawaii. After two seasons, the linebacker was released, but was signed to the Patriots’ practice squad shortly afterward. He quickly earned a spot on the active roster and has remained there for the past four seasons.

Marcus Jones earns weekly honor

Patriots cornerback and return man Marcus Jones was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week on Wednesday. The team announced the news on social media.

It isn’t surprising considering the historic game Jones had in the Week 4 matchup against the Carolina Panthers. He set a new franchise record for punt return yards in a single game with 167 total yards on the day. On top of this, the Houston product recorded the second-highest punt return average in a single game in NFL history with an average of 55.7 yards.

This is the second time in three weeks that a Patriots player has been honored with the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award. Running back Antonio Gibson also earned the award for his kickoff return against the Miami Dolphins in Week 2.

Cam Newton appreciates the love

Former NFL MVP Cam Newton reacted to Patriots quarterback Drake Maye hitting the Superman touchdown celebration in the Week 4 game against the Carolina Panthers.

Maye grew up a Panthers fan, and after the game, he spoke about Cam Newton being his favorite football player. The second-year quarterback is rarely that animated after making a play, but he acknowledged that seeing the Panthers’ jerseys made him think about Newton.

That moment was like a childhood dream come true, so he decided to have a little fun with it. And Newton approved in a social media post.

“Boogie approved. Love,” Newton posted on Instagram.

Newton played for the Patriots in the 2020 season. It was a short-lived stint, but it must have still felt like a full-circle moment for him to see both of his former teams go head-to-head.

But more importantly, he got to witness a rising young star at quarterback who grew up watching and cheering for him, emulating him all of these years later.

According to the second-year quarterback, the touchdown celebration was to pay homage to the Panthers legend.

“I think it was cool seeing those jerseys. When I saw those jerseys, they reminded me of Cam,” Maye told media members. “The energy he brought. I don’t show much emotion out there. I probably need to show more. … I think he played the position a different way than a lot of people do. I think the guys around him rallied around him … He was my favorite player growing up.”

Stefon Diggs ‘should study more’

Vrabel responded to wide receiver Stefon Diggs’ comments about being only “five out of 10” when he referred to how comfortable he was with the offense.

Diggs’ comments came on the heels of a breakout performance against the Panthers. It was his first 100-plus yard receiving performance with the Patriots and the 37th 100-plus yard game in his NFL career. He finished the game with a team-high six receptions for 101 yards.

Despite that impressive showing, Diggs appears to believe that he still has significant strides to make in the offense by rating his comfort level at the halfway point. That leaves plenty of room for growth and hope that there’s another ceiling he can reach with Maye.

On the surface, however, Vrabel viewed the comments differently.

“Then he should study more. … 5 out of 10,” Vrabel said in reference to Diggs. “We need to get going. I’ll have to talk to Stef today. I mean 5 out of 10 — I went to Ohio State. That’s failing.”

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai returns to practice after injury