The Patriots received some bad news on Monday night.
According to a source, Ja’Whaun Bentley suffered a torn pec that will sideline him for the rest of the 2024 NFL season.
The linebacker played 10 snaps in the Patriots loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday before leaving in the first quarter. He was eventually ruled out with a shoulder injury. On Monday morning, ESPN reported that the Patriots were “optimistic” about Bentley returning this week and playing in the team’s Thursday night matchup against the New York Jets.
Instead, the Patriots will be without one of their captains and best defensive players. According to the NFL Network, Bentley’s injury was “worse than publicly known.”
Bentley, 28, led the Patriots with 12 total tackles in their Week 1 upset win against the Cincinnati Bengals. He also took over for Matthew Slater, breaking down the team win in the post-game locker room celebration.
A fifth-round pick in 2018, Bentley’s rookie season was also cut short due to a torn pectoral muscle. He returned as a reserve linebacker in 2019 before developing into one of the Patriots best defensive players. Bentley has started every game played since the 2020 NFL season.
Bentley has finished with over 100 total tackles in each of the last three seasons. Last year, he finished with 114 tackles to go with 4.5 sacks. In 2022, he posted a career-high 125 tackles.
Bentley also wears a green dot on his helmet, which meant he was in contact with defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington on every play. Covington would radio in the call to Bentley, who could change plays on the field based on what he saw from the opposing offense.
When Bentley left Sunday’s game, that responsibility was moved to Kyle Dugger.
“Communication was good, and it was Dugger,” Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said on Monday afternoon. “Remember, Dugger did it all last year as well, so it was not anything new for him. I’ve always been a huge believer in a linebacker having the green dot, but I’ll tell you, the way Dugger played yesterday as a whole and being able to handle the communication, he definitely filled in for that role.”
Without Bentley, the Patriots will turn to Jahlani Tavai to be their top middle linebacker. He finished with a career-high 110 tackles last season. Backup Raekwon McMillan will also likely step into a more prominent role. McMillan replaced Bentley on Sunday and finished with seven tackles. He returned to the Patriots this season after missing each of the previous two seasons with knee injuries.
The Patriots also have linebackers Curtis Jacobs and Christian Ellis on the 53-man roster. They also have Ochaun Mathis and Joe-Giles Harris on the practice squad.
The Patriots could also get back veteran linebacker Sione Takitaki, who started the season on the physically unable to perform list. Takitaki is eligible to return to the Patriots in Week 5.
The NFL Network was the first to report the news of Bentley’s injury.
