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.
10 snaps😓 damn. https://t.co/Yb1rhn09Oy
— Jalen Mills (@greengoblin) October 11, 2023
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.
