Patriots Mills Stars at Safety; Permanent Position Switch?

 Just when you thought defensive back Jalen Mills was out, the New England Patriots pulled him back in.

Merely four business days after rumors of his impending release by the team ran rampant in March, the “Green Goblin” signed a restructured, one-year contract to remain in with the club for 2023.

Just over four months later, he is not only proving to be “something of a survivor, himself (much like Norman Osborn is to “scientists,”) but he is also settling nicely into a potential new role in the Patriots defensive backfield. 

“Honestly, it’s wherever coach [Belichick] sees fit,” Mills told reporters of his presumedly new duties. “I can play in the slot. I can play strong safety; I can play free safety. I can blitz off the edge. I can do a lot of different things, so I think it’s just about trusting coach to put me in the right position to help this defense, make plays and help the team win games.”

Based on his usage during Thursday night’s 20-9 loss to the Houston Texans in the Pats preseason opener, Mills appears ready for a positional switch to safety this season. The 29-year-old aligned at the position for the majority of his 25 defensive snaps, earning three total tackles and one pass-defensed. His highlight came on a first-quarter interception on 3rd-and-21 from the Houston 35-yard line. Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud was rudely welcomed to the NFL when Mills jumped the pass intended for Houston receiver Tank Dell.

While Mills is clearly capable of handling the logistical duties of playing safety, he is also evolving as both a leader and mentor to some of the younger players on the Pats roster. Following the retirement of longtime team captain Devin McCourty, the Pats have seemingly been in search of a member of their secondary to step up and lead by example. Though replacing a legend such as McCourty takes a team effort, Mills has been willing and able to answer the call. 

“We’ve been talking about building a foundation,” Mills said. “As a veteran being here multiple times, [I go] out and show them [rookies, etc.] that we practice hard enough, and those same plays that we make at practice … you can make [them] in the game.” 

Mills originally joined the Pats on a four-year, $24 million deal signed in the 2021 offseason. Despite his ability to align in multiple positions within the Pats secondary, he played a majority of his time at perimeter corner for the past two seasons. Playing predominately on the outside in 2022, Mills logged 31 tackles, five pass break-ups and intercepted two passes. In the process, he held opposing quarterbacks to completing only 27-of-45 for 333 yards when targeting him. He did so in spite of a hamstring injury sidelining him for one game last season, while a groin injury forced him to miss the final six games of the campaign.

However, Mills appears to be returning to a role which yielded his best statistical season. As a member of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020, he accounted for 74 combined tackles , 1.5 sacks and an interception while aligning mostly at box or free safety. 

In fact, his versatility was seemingly one of the main reasons why coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots brought Mills into the Foxboro fold two years ago. 

“Jalen is an experienced guy,” Belichick said. “Played all the positions in the secondary … the nickel, the corner. Played safety at Philly. He played safety [a bit during his first year] with us. He's a smart, versatile guy. Gives us some good experience at different spots.”

Should Thursday night be a sign of things to come, Mills is poised to join a talented positional grouping which includes Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips, Jabrill Peppers and Joshuah Bledsoe. Still, rather than compete with his peers, Mills is content to let both his skill set and leadership set their own respective examples. 

“Just go out there and trust yourself,” Mills said. “I think that was the message that I was trying to send, is just go out there, be yourself and make plays.”

In doing so, Jalen Mills is proving to be the ultimate team player. 

What could be more “Patriot-like” than that?