Patriots Lose Defensive Captain Ja'Whaun Bentley to Season-Ending Injury, per Report

A big loss for New England's defense.

Bentley walks to the practice fields for minicamp at Gillette Stadium. / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots sustained a significant blow during its Week 2 overtime loss against the Seattle Seahawks, as defensive captain Ja'Whaun Bentley was injured.

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Bentley sustained a torn pec and will miss the remainder of the 2024 season. That differs from an earlier report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, who indicated Monday morning that the Patriots were "optimistic" that Bentley avoided serious injury and that the star linebacker could be ready for Thursday night's game against the New York Jets.

The loss of Bentley will be difficult for New England to overcome. The 28-year-old has recorded more than 100 tackles in each of the previous three seasons and racked up a joint team-high 12 tackles during the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.

He went down with the injury during the first quarter against the Seahawks. Despite remaining in the game for one more play, he exited shortly after and did not return. Now, it seems his season is over as a result of that injury.

Rookie Curtis Jacobs is behind Bentley on the Patriots' depth chart. The former Penn State standout has yet to play an NFL game, having latched on in New England after initially signing with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted rookie. Other inside linebackers on the roster include Raekwon McMillan and Christian Elliss.

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