Patriots re-sign Jalen Mills, reportedly moving him to safety

According to The Score’s Jordan Schultz, the New England Patriots are re-signing cornerback Jalen Mills and moving him to safety. 

Mills was not initially projected to be an unrestricted free agent in the 2023 offseason, but the team released him for cap-related reasons. 

Although he was inactive for the final seven games of the 2022 season with a groin injury, as a corner, Mills was a valuable contributor for New England, starting every game he was active in (10) and amassing 26 tackles with two interceptions. 

Considering the Patriots have plenty of capable names playing corner and thinning depth at the safety position, the move to switch Mills safety — a position he has ample experience in — makes perfect sense. 

In 2020, Mills started 15 games at safety for the Philadelphia Eagles and only allowed two touchdowns. Mills displayed his potential at the position by posting 74 total tackles—an average of 4.9 tackles per game; a minor tick better than Devin McCourty’s average in 2021 for New England (4.1).