Tag: Raekwon McMillan

Patriots reportedly extending under-the-radar linebacker to new deal

The Patriots reportedly made an under-the-radar signing over the weekend.

New England Patriots reportedly agreed on a contract extension with linebacker Raekwon McMillan to a new deal, per the Boston Globe’s Jim McBride.

McMillan recorded 35 combined tackles and a sack last season. He was initially signed by the Patriots back in March 2021 as an unrestricted free agent. He had an injured first season in New England as he suffered a torn ACL during training camp.

The 2022 season was a better one for him, as he played in 16 games and 250 overall snaps. He also played 277 special teams snaps. The highlight of his year last year was a fumble return for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 14.

McMillan will be looking to make additional progress next season, as the Patriots continue to solidify their linebacker room.

In the meantime, the organization has had a busy last few days of the offseason, including legendary safety Devin McCourty retiring and punter Jake Bailey being released.

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Patriots’ 5 biggest needs this offseason

Here are the Patriots’ five biggest needs that must be addressed in the offseason.

The New England Patriots finished 2022 by missing the playoffs for the second time in three years, an outcome that is well below the standard the Patriots are used to seeing over the last 20-plus years.

The Patriots are into full 2023 planning mode and looking for talent to round out a much-improved roster and coaching staff for next season. That’s coupled with the scheme changes that are sure to come from the hiring of Bill O’Brien as the new offensive coordinator.

There is clearly a lot of work to be done. Here are the Patriots’ biggest needs in the offseason.

Highlight of the game: Raekwon McMillan’s scoop-and-score touchdown

Watch Raekwon McMillan help turn the tide of the game with this highlight play.

Touchdowns were hard to come by for the New England Patriots in their battle with the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night. The defense ruled the evening, and it even led to points for New England.

Linebacker Raekwon McMillan made a heads-up play on Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, leading to a touchdown for the Patriots.

The Cardinals were driving down the field, and quarterback Colt McCoy targeted Hopkins. The receiver began to turn upfield on a slant route. McMillan punched the ball out of Hopkins’ hand, scooped it up and ran it into the end zone for a touchdown.

McMillan’s play was just another example of New England’s stout defense. The Patriots came into Monday night’s game ninth in the league with 23 opponent turnovers, per StatMuse.  Plays like the scoop and score illustrate why New England is high on that list.

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Raekwon McMillan returns DeAndre Hopkins fumble for Patriots touchdown

The New England Patriots get a defensive touchdown off a fumble recovery

DeAndre Hopkins is usually the player on the Arizona Cardinals with the sure hands.

In the third quarter Monday night, the great wide receiver’s hands betrayed him and he fumbled the ball.

The football wound up with New England’s Raekwon McMillan and he returned it 23 yards for a touchdown.

Nick Folk hit the PAT and New England had scored 13 straight points en route to a 20-13 lead.

3 crucial positional matchups to watch in Patriots-Bills game

3 key positional matchups to keep an eye on in Thursday night’s game.

Fresh off a Thanksgiving night loss at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings, the New England Patriots will be faced with another tough opponent in a division rivalry game against the playoff-contending Buffalo Bills on Thursday night.

If the Patriots wish to make the playoffs, they likely need to win four out of their next six games to do so. It’ll be a tall task with at least two of those matchups coming against the Bills, who are clearly one of the best teams in football.

Let’s take a look at the key positional matchups that could sway the outcome of this ever so important Week 13 game.

4 big takeaways from Patriots’ 33-26 loss vs Vikings

It was a great night for Mac Jones, but a rough one for the special teams unit.

What a game.

In what was by far their best game of the season, the Patriots faced off against the Minnesota Vikings in a Thursday night Thanksgiving showdown. New England just about kept up with a high-powered (and top-ranked) Minnesota offense for the whole game, trading blows back and forth deep into the fourth quarter.

Unfortunately, multiple misfortunes throughout the game lost the Patriots their offensive momentum. Between unlucky penalty calls (or the lack of them), timely mistakes, and just good play by the opposition, they faltered down the stretch.

Even with multiple drives at the end, they could not keep even with the Vikings, losing the game 33-26.

Here are four big takeaways from the game.

Buckeyes in the NFL: How did these former Ohio State players perform on defense Sunday?

How did these former defensive Buckeyes play in the NFL on Sunday? #GoBucks

Week 1 of the NFL season has finally kicked off. While we are waiting on the Ohio State Buckeyes to kick off against the Toledo Rockets, it is fun to sit back and watch how former Ohio State players wreck it in the National Football League.

We are incredibly blessed to be Buckeye fans because there are so many talented players that we enjoy on Sunday after watching current Ohio State players on Saturday. The list of former Buckeyes is so large we have to split this list into two with offense and defense.

The following are former defensive Ohio State football players who made a splash during Week 1.

Positional Preview: Breaking down the linebacker position after the 53-man roster cutdown

How does New England’s linebacking corps look heading into the regular season?

Last Tuesday, the Patriots, like all other NFL teams, had to trim their active roster from 80 players down to just 53. While other position groups had players who were either locks to make the team or outside the roster bubble, the linebacking corps was likely one of the groups that many were unsure about.

New England’s newly retooled linebacking corps features many players on the team who are unfamiliar to Patriots fans and media alike, which is seen by some as the team’s biggest weakness.

That being said, let’s take a look at the finalized position group heading into the start of the regular season.

Instant takeaways from Day 5 of Patriots training camp

The Patriots defense remained in control of team drills with the Patriots putting on pads for the first time.

The New England Patriots ran their first padded practice, but it didn’t seem to elevate energy levels or execution for the offense. The defense — which had won the recent practices without pads — was back to beating up on the offense. In some cases, the defense simply capitalized upon the offense’s mistakes.

Take Mac Jones’ lone interception, for example. In an 11-on-11 drill, the quarterback seemed not to see cornerback Terrance Mitchell, who had dropped into zone coverage on the right side of the defense. Receiver Tyquan Thornton dragged over the middle into Mitchell’s zone and Jones threw the ball right to the cornerback. And perhaps that scared the downfield passing out of Jones, who spent much of the practice checking down to his slot receivers and running backs.

Here’s more from today’s session.

Bill Belichick shows love for a LB that’s a dark horse to take a big role in 2022

Bill Belichick praised linebacker Raekwon McMillan on Wednesday.

New England Patriots linebacker Raekwon McMillan is off to a good start as training camp practices begin. Coach Bill Belichick has given McMillan his seal of approval.

The Patriots activated McMillan off the PUP list on Tuesday, close to a year after suffering a torn ACL in practice. He suffered the injury last August, and signed a one-year contract extension through the 2022 season last September.

McMillan looks to make an impact for the Patriots after most recently playing for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020. He recorded 27 tackles that year in addition to a forced fumble.

Now, he is trying to work his way back, as the Patriots look to find an identity in the linebacker room. So far, his work ethic has stood out, as Belichick noted to reporters on Wednesday.

“Raekwon works really hard, really smart player, has experience, understands a lot at the linebacker position,’”Belichick told reporters during a press conference on Wednesday. “Obviously there’s a lot going on there, but he handles things well. Signal caller, multiple-position player. It’s good to see him back out there. He looks like he’s recovered very well and based on what we saw in the spring and limited looks here this first week, I’d say he’s doing very well.”

McMillan could be a key contributor to a Patriots linebacker room in search of veteran leadership. His progression and health could be storylines to watch, as New England shifts its identity to a youth movement on defense. Veteran depth could be important at the position, as young players like Ronnie Perkins and Cam McGrone continue to develop.

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