In 2022, Jack Gibbens came into the NFL as an undrafted rookie free agent through the Tennessee Titans. He started from the bottom, earned his way onto the roster from a practice squad player, and is now a versatile starting linebacker. He was given his opportunity through Mike Vrabel, who now gave him another opportunity with the New England Patriots.
While in Tennessee, Gibbens wore No. 50 and was tagged as “Dr. Gibby”, a nickname given to him by Vrabel for answering all of his questions correctly, essentially calling him a smart football player. Vrabel also wore No. 50 and was a smart player himself, which is why he’s in the coaching phase of his career now.
I believe Vrabel sees a lot of himself as a player in Gibbens and trusts that he’s going to make the right decisions on the field while also being an important locker room presence as well. Although Vrabel was a third round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1997, he never started a game until he signed with the Patriots in 2001 as a free agent. That said, I do feel there is a connection between Vrabel and Gibbens as players and they’re paths to getting on the field.
Gibbens recently told the story of his NFL journey and how Vrabel saw something in him, despite cutting him during training camp, Vrabel still saw enough from him to earn another opportunity as a practice squad player, and then eventually became a starter in the same year.
"Coming in as an undrafted guy, obviously the odds were kind of stacked against me. He actually cut me out of training camp and I got brought back on the practice squad and was kind of grinding away there until I got my opportunity later in the year when guys started going down. But I think the big thing with him is that he always says ‘it doesn’t matter how you got here, it’s what you do when you get here’ and you can earn opportunities by the way that you work and the way that you prepare to play. And that’s something that I always appreciated about him, that they were willing to give a guy, who’s an undrafted rookie, put him out there to start in a Thursday night football game was a great opportunity for me."Patriots LB Jack Gibbens
Gibbens (6’3”, 242 lbs.) is a true linebacker with positional versatility throughout the unit. His first step is to stop the run, but he’s also able to get into pass coverage quickly and defend at a high level in the passing game. In a sophisticated style of defense that Vrabel teams run, Gibbens says that being versatile is important in this style of defense. Without saying too much, Gibbens explains some of the defensive concepts of a Vrabel-Williams defense.
"I think we have a great group of guys. I think we have a ton of competition at every position which is going to help make the whole team better, the defense better. It's going to be really aggressive. I think everyone is trying to do things that’s simple for us, but difficult for them and marry up some stuff- make things look like this and then come out with something else. So I think it’s going to be really exciting."
Gibbens comes into New England with a familiar coaching staff and with other important players that Vrabel added to help build the culture he wants with Harold Landry III and Robert Spillane. Together, the trio has familiarity with the coaching style, but more importantly, the verbiage and communication on the field with each other, which Gibbens says is already the best that he’s ever been part of.
“I think that we have the right guys that are going to play hard and be super connected and already the communication and connection out there on the field and off the field is better than I’ve seen in my first three years, so I’m really excited about that.”
Gibbens will likely compete for a starting role with Christian Elliss, whom the Patriots retained during the offseason by matching an offer sheet sent by the Las Vegas Raiders for $13.5 million over two years. The signing happened in March, so it shows that Vrabel likes what Elliss brings to the table as a linebacker.
The other player Gibbens is going to be competing for a starting role with is Spillane, who also offers a lot of the same qualities as Gibbens.
One last player to keep in mind for playing time at linebacker is Jahlani Tavai. He’s another player that offers the same qualities as Gibbens and Spillane, not to mention he’s been a starter on this defense for the last three seasons.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t necessarily matter who is starting; all of these players are going to get on the field in New England and be contributors to what is shaping up to be a strong defense.
When it comes to Gibbens, I believe Vrabel sees a player who reminds him of himself. I think Gibbens is the defensive version of how Vrabel admires Will Campbell, the offensive tackle selected fourth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Gibbens is returning in 2025 from an ankle injury he suffered in Week 11 last season that required him to have surgery. He’s feeling great now and is eager to get back on the field.