Tag: Jalen Mills

Do the Giants have a glaring issue in the secondary?

Bill Barnwell believes the New York Giants have glaring and concerning issues in the secondary, especially at safety.

The New York Giants still have some holes to fill on their roster but none may be more glaring than in the secondary.

This offseason, they lost their most reliable player — safety Xavier McKinney — to the Green Bay Packers in free agency. It was the second year in a row they let a solid safety walk. Last spring, Julian Love signed on with the Seattle Seahawks.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell believes the Giants, while they may have made some splashes in other areas, are now devoid of top talent in their secondary.

The Giants wanted to trade for edge rusher Brian Burns and pay him more than $28 million per year, which means they have to make cutbacks somewhere. For general manager Joe Schoen, those cutbacks appear to be in the secondary. New York let its two most prominent defensive backs hit the open market. McKinney immediately signed a four-year, $68 million deal with the Packers, becoming one of the few safeties in a loaded market to get paid. (Cornerback Adoree’) Jackson remains unsigned.

The Giants signed veteran safety Jalen Mills in free agency and fans are hoping they are not done adding. Mills will be joined by Jason Pinnock at safety, a duo Barnwell says is “arguably the weakest pair of starting safeties on paper.”

At cornerback, last year’s first-round pick, Deonte Banks will be one starter while Jackson’s role is up for grabs. Right now, the Giants will choose from a group that includes Tre Hawkins III and Nick McCloud. Ouch.

Barnwell points out there are still many defensive backs still on the market, including Adoree’ Jackson, and the Giants can still bolster the group with a signing or two.

“I would be surprised if they didn’t take advantage of the market and add at least one veteran safety,” writes Barnwell. “Justin Simmons, Quandre Diggs, Marcus Maye, Tashaun Gipson and Julian Blackmon are all free agents. . . Adding one of those guys on a one-year deal would bring a veteran into the defensive backs room and help a team that is otherwise set to run out a young secondary.”

Big Blue also has six selections in the 2024 NFL draft and will most likely use a pick or two on the secondary.

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Patriots Week 17 injury report: 3 players miss practice on Wednesday

Things are getting dangerously thin for the Patriots at safety.

Injuries at safety are beginning to stack up for the New England Patriots with both Jabrill Peppers and Jalen Mills being listed as non-participants at Wednesday’s practice.

Peppers is still working his way back from the hamstring injury that caused him to miss Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos. Meanwhile, Mills is in concussion protocol, putting his availability in Week 17 in doubt.

Safety has been considered as one of New England’s strongest positions this season, but they could be another injury away from catastrophe.

Here are the full injury reports for both the Patriots and Buffalo Bills on Wednesday:

New England Patriots

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Game Status
OT Trent Brown Illness DNP
S Jalen Mills Concussion DNP
S Jabrill Peppers Hamstring DNP
DL Christian Barmore Knee LP
LB Ja’Whaun Bentley Knee LP
DB Myles Bryant Chest LP
TE Hunter Henry Knee LP
LB Anfernee Jennings Illness LP
CB Jonathan Jones Knee LP
ST Matthew Slater Hamstring LP
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster Ankle LP
CB Shaun Wade Hip LP
T Tyrone Wheatley Knee FP

DNP: Did not practice; LP: Limited participation ; FP: Full participation

Buffalo Bills

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Game Status
DE Leonard Floyd Wrist/Rib/Rest DNP
Edge Von Miller Vet Rest DNP
LB Terrel Bernard Ankle LP
DE A.J. Epenesa Rib LP
S Damar Hamlin Shoulder LP
S Micah Hype Neck Stinger LP
RB Ty Johnson Shoulder LP
LS Reid Ferguson Right Thumb FP
DT DaQuan Jones Pectoral FP
DB Cam Lewis Thumb FP
WR Justin Shorter Hamstring FP
LB Dorian Williams Knee FP

DNP: Did not practice; LP: Limited participation ; FP: Full participation

The Bills have suddenly emerged into one of the hottest teams in the league late in the season. Being shorthanded against a Josh Allen-led football team is never a good thing, and it could come back to bite the Patriots if that remains to be the case at kick-off.

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10 highest-graded players for Patriots defense vs Dolphins, per PFF

Who were the highest-graded Patriots defensive players in the loss to the Dolphins?

The New England Patriots defense could not handle the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, as they were defeated by a 31-17 margin.

Sure, the defense had moments of success, but by and large, this was a game that saw the unit struggle overall. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa passed for 324 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Running back Raheem Mostert carried the ball 13 times for 46 yards and a touchdown.

Tyreek Hill was the receiver of the afternoon, catching seven passes for 121 yards and a touchdown.

The Patriots defense had no answers for the potent Miami offensive attack. The Dolphins being on the field for nearly 36 minutes of the game didn’t help matters, either.

Here are the top-10 highest-graded defensive players for the Patriots in Week 8, per Pro Football Focus.

6 Patriots players should be considered likely trade candidates

What Patriots players will likely be on the trade block?

How big of sellers will the New England Patriots be by the October 31 trade deadline?

That’s the big question with the 2023 season likely dead in the water for the team. They have a 1-5 record with their next two games against the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins.

By the time Week 9 rolls around, the Patriots will probably already be checkmated into submission.

Help isn’t coming to save New England. So their best hope now is trading players for draft assets. It’s important to note that every player is expendable for the right price, including quarterback Mac Jones. It makes more sense for the Patriots to keep him on the roster, however, unless they get a good enough offer.

Let’s take a look at six Patriots players that are likely trade candidates for the team.

Lawrence Guy empathizes with Jalen Mills’ snap count frustrations

Lawrence Guy understands where Jalen Mills is coming from

New England Patriots defensive tackle Lawrence Guy spoke about teammate Jalen Mills tweeting his frustration over playing time. He empathized with the veteran safety, who voiced his displeasure on Wednesday afternoon.

Mills only had 10 snaps in Sunday’s loss to the New Orleans Saints, which was tied with rookie safety Ameer Speed for the lowest.

Guy admitted to having been in the same position before. Now, he is an integral part of the New England defensive line and has been for the past several years.

“I’ve been in that frustration part,” Guy said, when talking to the media on Thursday. “He works hard. He works hard every single day. If you ask a question in a meeting, he knows that meeting. He knows the answer, like boom, he could spit it out.

“This is how the dice are rolled right now, but it doesn’t stop his preparation. It doesn’t stop his work ethic on the field. That’s kudos to him. I understand certain situations are what they are, but I can tell you this, the grind that man has on the field, and the passion he has, is amazing. And like I said, if you ask him any question about the opponent, he knows everything about it. It just didn’t roll that way this week.”

Mills’ frustration is understandable, as New England has struggled to find depth defensively. He has been an important part of the Patriots defense during his tenure with the team.

Whether that leads to more playing time or not remains to be seen.

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Jalen Mills tweets on only playing 10 snaps in Week 5 loss to Saints

Jalen Mills’ usage rate in Week 5 is shocking

Jalen Mills is one of the most versatile defensive players on the New England Patriots’ roster. He made the switch back to safety this season, but he has spent most of his NFL career playing at cornerback.

Surprisingly, he didn’t do much of either in the Patriots’ Week 5 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

ESPN’s Mike Reiss posted a breakdown of the defensive snap count from last Sunday’s game, and Mills was listed as the player with the least snaps that wasn’t a special teams player.

It’s pretty shocking considering all of the injuries at cornerback and potential opportunities to slot him back in at safety. Mills is clearly still a talented player that has shown up on tape on more than just a few occasions.

But why is he barely seeing on-field time? When posting on social media, he seemed just as surprised as everyone else.

The offense is obviously at the heart of the problem for the Patriots, but the defense also struggled to defend against New Orleans’ receiving weapons. Even for a team struggling as badly as the Raiders, they are still loaded with potential game-breakers on the offensive side of the ball.

The Patriots should have their hands full enough where Mills could see more than just 10 reps in Week 6. With the team on the brink of destruction with a 1-4 record, no opportunity should be off the table.

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Patriots’ top 10 defensive players in Week 5, per PFF grades

These were the Patriots’ top-10 defensive players in Week 5, per PFF grades

Defense is about the only hope the New England Patriots have left this season, and that couldn’t have been more evident than Sunday’s 34-0 blowout loss to the New Orleans Saints.

It was another afternoon of horrific turnovers for the offense with one being a pick-six after a poor throwing decision from quarterback Mac Jones. The Saints dominated the battle of field position and time of possession by a 39:34-20:26 margin.

The defense didn’t really have much of a chance in the game.

Keep in mind, it’s also a defense that lost two of its best players, cornerback Christian Gonzalez and linebacker Matthew Judon, to injuries in the previous week. The good news is the unit continued to fight valiantly, even when clearly facing an uphill battle.

There was still tremendous effort on display for a team that currently looks like one of the worst in the NFL. Unfortunately for the Patriots, defensive effort alone doesn’t win football games. At some point, the offense has to find ways to execute and put points on the board.

Let’s take a look at the top-10 defensive players from Sunday’s game, per Pro Football Focus grades.

Patriots’ top 10 defensive players in Week 4, per PFF grades

Ranking the Patriots’ defensive players with the top-10 PFF grades in Week 4

The New England Patriots defense was put in an impossible position in the Week 4 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Not only was the unit battered with injuries, but it was handcuffed to an offense that turned the ball over three times and consistently put them in bad field position.

It was in no way a great performance for the defense, but they also didn’t look nearly as bad as the 38-3 score indicates. In fact, it’s surprising the score didn’t get even worse with the offense giving up two defensive touchdowns to the Cowboys.

The defense also lost two of their best players with cornerback Christian Gonzalez and linebacker Matthew Judon both going down with injuries. They’ll have their work cut out for them when attempting to bounce back in Week 5 against the visiting New Orleans Saints.

Let’s take a look at the top-10 defensive players, per Pro Football Focus grades, in the loss to Dallas.

Patriots’ top 10 defensive players in Week 2, per PFF grades

Who cracked the top-10 on defense for the Patriots in Week 2?

For a second straight week, most of the highlights for the New England Patriots came on the defensive side of the ball in their Week 2 matchup with the Miami Dolphins.

They were presented with the seemingly impossible task of covering the Dolphins’ otherworldly receiving tandem of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and they overachieved in not allowing the game to be broken open.

Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for their effort in stopping the run game after seeing them get pounded into the ground by Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert for 121 yards and two touchdowns.

Rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez did a tremendous job matched up on the outside against Hill, who had five receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown, after going off last week for 215 yards and two touchdowns. The first-round draft pick even undercut Hill on one play and leaped high into the air to snag the first interception of his NFL career.

Let’s take a look at Gonzalez and the other nine defensive players that received the highest Pro Football Focus grades for the Patriots in Week 2.

Three standout stars for Patriots in Thursday’s preseason opener

Here are the three standout stars from the Patriots’ first preseason game.

The New England Patriots opened the 2023 preseason with a 20-9 loss to the Houston Texans.

In a game where the Patriots rested most of their projected starters and veterans, we got to see rookies and young players fighting for their NFL lives in 2023.

Even though this exhibition game is meaningless for the 2023 season, it’s a good chance to take a look at players we might not ever get to see showcase their skills.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the three most impactful players for the Patriots in Thursday’s preseason opener.