Philadelphia Eagles: How has Jalen Mills fared in New England?

Like him or hate him, Jalen Mills was an absolute home run for the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Sure, he’d get beat over the top from time to time and had an unwavering swagger that rubbed some people the wrong way, but after watching 232 players hear their names called before he was selected in the seventh round, Mills became a steady contributor for the Eagles’ defense, starting 49 of the 63 games he appeared in.

Whether on the perimeter opposite Ronald Darby or deployed deep at safety in place of Malcolm Jenkins, Mills quite literally embraced the underdog mentality that Philadelphia wears like a badge of honor, going so far as to dye his hair a neon shade of midnight green.

And yet, between the Eagles’ cap situation and their coaching staff overhaul, Mills was allowed to test the open market when his one-year extension expired at the end of 2020. Free to explore a variety of schematic opportunities, Mills ultimately settled in New England, where he signed a four-year, $24 million deal with the Patriots.

How, you may be wondering, did the Green Goblin fare in his first season away from the Philadelphia Eagles, and what role did he play? Well, let’s find out.

Did the ex-Philadelphia Eagles’ DB turn a corner in New England?

When Jalen Mills opted to return to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020 on a one-year, $4 million deal to play safety, it left more than a few fans scratching their heads. After almost exclusively spending his time on the perimeter from 2016-19, Mills described a longstanding desire to play a little further off the line of scrimmage and hoped that he could become an even better safety than he was as a corner.

Did it work out that way? More or less, yeah; Mills played very well as an interchangeable free/strong safety and even moonlighted back at cornerback when the team suffered a string of injuries midway through the season, but was the move ultimately what he wanted moving forward?

As it turns out, the answer was a resounding meh.

Free to sign wherever he would like and explore different schematic options, Mills ultimately landed on the New England Patriots, his foes in Super Bowl LII, and after crosstraining around the team’s defensive backfield, landed back on the perimeter as Bill Bellichek’s CB2 behind soon-to-be free agent J.C. Jackson. Now granted, could Mills have guessed that he’d be starting on the outside back in March of 2021, when he joined a defensive backfield that featured both Jackson and Stephon Gilmore? I sort of doubt it, but one way or another – see a trade with the Carolina Panthers – that’s how things shook out for Mills, and to his credit, he did the job well. His overall PFF rating of 67.5 ranked 34th among 116 qualifying corners in 2021 and was his highest cornerback grade as a pro.

In 16 games of action, Mills was targeted 65 times in coverage and allowed 37 completions for 406 yards, 278 through the air, and 128 after the catch. While allowing seven touchdowns wasn’t ideal, Mills allowed fewer yards per catch, yards per target, and a lower completion percentage in 2021 than in 2018 or 2019, which were his last two seasons as a purely outside cornerback.

And, in a really weird twist of fate, Mills might have to return to being a CB1 once more, as J.C. Jackson very well may pull a Mills and leave in free agency. Is that an ideal situation? I mean, probably not, but if anyone can get away with Mills as their top cornerback, it would be Bill Belichick.

Should the Philadelphia Eagles have kept Jalen Mills heading into 2021? That… depends. Even with Jim Schwartz on his way out, Mills certainly could have filled some role for the Eagles in 2021, be that in place of Anthony Harris or Steven Nelson. But at the same time, I get wanting to move on and allowing the Green Goblin to sign a lucrative third contract the likes of which Howie Roseman couldn’t afford last spring. But hey, ultimately, it’s nice to see that Mills held up well in his new, old role and could remain a long-term performer for a really good defense. It’s also nice to see he kept the green hairdo, as even if he’s wearing a different uniform, his first Super Bowl win will forever be as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.