![](https://patriotswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/71/2022/06/e798b10c34254b50b2f66d97701588ba.jpg?w=1000&h=600&crop=1)
New England Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai exited practice Thursday with an injury, according to reporters on the scene. The Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan indicated it was a right leg injury. Tavai needed help getting off the field.
His injury comes after he spent most of training camp working with the second-team defense as an inside and outside linebacker. He is also clearly a top special teams option for 2022.
“I think he’ll be a big factor for us this year, on all four downs; not just defensively but also in the kicking game,” Bill Belichick said during an interview with Sirius XM earlier this week.
Jahlani Tavai went down with an apparent lower-body injury on an 11-on-11 rep. Currently being slowly helped off the field by team trainers.
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) August 4, 2022
Tavai is in competition with linebackers Ja’Whaun Bentley, Raekwon McMillan, Mack Wilson, Cameron McGrone and Harvey Langi to earn starting snaps at the inside linebacker spot.