The New York Giants cut defensive back Jalen Mills on Thursday, ending his time with the team before it ever truly began. Mill, a former seventh-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, made a name for himself with the Philadelphia Eagles and continued his solid play with the New England Patriots. A cornerback by trade, Mills transitioned to safety and can play both positions at a reasonably high level. The Giants signed him to a one-year, $1.38 million deal earlier in the year, but released him after a stint on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list.
Despite the cut, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Jalen Mills is healthy and is “expected to draw interest” on the open market. While Schefter doesn’t mention specific teams, the Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers would make plenty of sense. Seeing as he signed for such a small sum, neither team should have to break the bank to land a potential contributor for the 2024 season.
Giants Cut Jalen Mills – Chiefs, Panthers Could Be Suitors
Patrick Mahomes is easily the most important player on the Kansas City Chiefs, but he probably wouldn’t have won the Super Bowl last year without his strong defense. Trent McDuffie and L’Jarius Sneed formed arguably the best cornerback duo in football last year, but they won’t be able to replicate that success in 2024. While McDuffie is still around, Sneed earned a massive payday with the Tennessee Titans. Jalen Mills is not nearly as good as Sneed, but the recently cut veteran could provide crucial depth at both safety and cornerback.
Joshua Williams is set to start for Kansas City, and the former fourth-round pick played well in small doses last year. However, he has yet to prove he can handle a full-time starting job, so Mills could ease his transition to a larger role. Even if the Fayetteville State product is ready to go, Mills could still help out at safety. The safety duo of Bryan Cook and Justin Reid are nothing to write home about, so the new free agent could easily provide some depth for a team looking to win their third Super Bowl in as many seasons.
Cost-Effective Roster Building
The Carolina Panthers have one of the worst rosters in football, but also only have $6.38 million in available cap space. This unfortunate combination means they have to shop for values on the open market if they want to improve on their league-worst record from 2023. While the team spent big on guys like Robert Hunt and Jadeveon Clowney, they have yet to make any meaningful additions to the secondary. While they tried to add star cornerback Stephon Gilmore, they could settle for the recently cut Jalen Mills.
Mills might not be a superstar, but he won’t need to be to see playing time on this team. Jaycee Horn is a good cornerback when healthy, but the former top-10 pick has struggled to stay on the field since entering the league. The rest of the cornerbacks and safeties are nothing to write home about, so Mills could carve a role for himself on this team. Despite the offensive improvements, Carolina will still need a strong defense if they want to win games in 2024.
Main Photo: Isaiah J. Downing – USA Today Sports
