Former New England Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich praised Jahlani Tavai and his recent contract extension, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
Ninkovich approved of the move to keep Tavai, who has become a staple of the Patriots defense.
Tavai had a solid season last year for New England. He recorded 110 tackles, a sack and two forced fumbles. He was a dynamic playmaker on the Patriots’ linebackers unit and had two games with at least 10 tackles. One of them was a 15-tackle effort against the Pittsburgh Steelers last December.
Ninkovich knows the value of a strong defensive player, and he is pleased with the linebacker’s career trajectory to this point.
“I love his energy. He plays hard. You need a guy like that who can do multiple things, but also get everyone in the right spots,” said Ninkovich, via Reiss. “He’s been in this system long enough where he understands his role so well that he can help others.
“…Him and Bent [Ja’Whaun Bentley] having played together for the last three years, that’s a good thing to keep that going. I think he has a higher ceiling and that could soon become an undervalued contract.”
The contract itself could indeed have a lot of value considering Tavai has already proven himself to be a strong fit in the Patriots’ defensive system.
Continued production will be important with the team still trying to figure things out on the offensive side of the football.
