The Green Goblin is moving on. Former Philadelphia Eagles defender Jalen Mills is signing with the New England Patriots, according to a report by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
More for the Patriots: Former Eagles DB Jalen Mills for the Patriots in a $ 24 million 4-year deal, including $ 9 million guaranteed, @DrewJRosenhaus says ESPN.
– Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2021
In five years with the Eagles, Mills played 63 games, starting with 49. Objectively, he was a great choice in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He was a starting cornerback for the 2017 Super Bowl winning team and played well throughout the playoff.
As a free agent in 2020, Mills re-signed with the Eagles on a $ 4 million one-year contract, so it is somewhat surprising that he got the kind of deal he did with the Patriots after an expressionless campaign in 2020. It is important to note that the Patriots highly value versatility throughout their defense, which makes Mills a good fit for them.
Mills is a legitimate NFL holder, however, in his first five years in the NFL, he was often tasked with responsibilities beyond his capabilities. For much of his first four years in the league, he was the Eagles’ No. 1 corner. In 2020, he was replacing a handyman playmaking security at Malcolm Jenkins. Neither role was ideal for a player with Mills’ skills, but to his credit, he always craved any and all difficult challenges and attacked them with the mentality that he was Ronnie Lott’s second coming.
With the departure of Mills, the rest of the Eagles’ safety devices are as follows:
• Rodney McLeod: McLeod is a block to land on the PUP list before the training camp starts, after undergoing surgery on December 29 to replace a torn ACL. He is also expected to remain in the PUP for at least the first six weeks of the 2021 season.
• Marcus Epps: Epps appeared in 14 games in 2020, starting with five, and accumulated 47 tackles, two INTs and four additional pass separations. It is an unfinished product, but there are some advantages.
• K’Von Wallace: In the 2020 season, Wallace played 202 snaps in regular defense, mostly as a box vault. In defense of Jim Schwartz, he clearly would have been prepared for something of the Jenkins role that Mills took on. It will be interesting to see how it fits into Jonathan Gannon’s defense.
• Rudy Ford, Grayland Arnold, and Elijah Riley: Special teamers and / or lottery tickets.
Let’s just say that they are now very thin at the rear end.
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