The Eagles already lost one starting safety from their Super Bowl roster from a year ago when Marcus Epps signed with Las Vegas. Their other starter, CJ Gardner Johnson, remains unsigned as the safety market has been not been kind to players seeking big deals not named Jessie Bates. The Eagles would be wise to explore another one-time member of an Eagles Super Bowl roster with the position in flux. Jalen Mills.
Mills, also known as the Green Goblin for his green hair during his days in Philly, was released by the New England Patriots on Friday. He enters a free agent market that has seen some corners get solid deals and just one safety, Bates, get a big payday.
Mills did NOT grade well in 2022, according to PFF. He had a 44.6 overall rating with a 42.7 coverage rating. Those numbers aren’t great. So why should the Eagles even think of pursuing him? Well, those ratings came with Mills playing as a corner mainly. He played 384 snaps at corner, 43 in the slot, 35 in the box, and 7 at the line. He played 0 snaps at safety.
The thing is, however, Mills might be looking to make the move to safety.
Mills played his first five years with the Eagles after being drafted in the 7th round of the 2016 NFL Draft. As everyone knows, Mills rose from being a 7th-round pick to a starter in the Super Bowl by his second season. What some may have forgotten, however, is that by his fifth season, the Eagles moved him primarily to safety in 2020. Of the 1,014 snaps he played in 2020, only 227 of them were at corner. The Patriots, though, fave him a 4-year, $24m contract and have played him almost exclusively as a corner.
Mills’ one season as a safety for the Eagles was his highest-graded season, according to PFF of his career. His second best was the Eagles Super Bowl year in 2017.
If the Eagles and CJ Gardner Johnson are not able to get around their apparent impasse, the Birds definitely should pursue Mills. Even if they are able to, a case could be made for the Eagles to pursue Mills. Everyone is really high on Reed Blankenship after a strong rookie season, but adding a veteran like Mills, who has Super Bowl experience, to compete for a starting spot would make a ton of sense as long as Howie Roseman can make it make cents.
If the Eagles and CJGJ don’t end up working things out, the Birds will undoubtedly pursue a veteran that is capable of starting before the draft, so they don’t enter the draft with a glaring need. We’ve seen how bad things can be when Howie reaches for need at safety (hello, Jaiquawn Jarrett). Mills would certainly fit the bill.
How much of a market Mills has is anyone’s guess. The Eagles just signed Greedy Williams to a deal for just under $2m. We’ve seen some pretty good safeties settle for fairly modest deals. Jordan Poyer for $6.25 a year. Julian Love got $6m a year. Mills will be 29 years old when the 2023 season starts and coming off a year in which he battled injuries. That feels like an opportunity for a potential low-risk, small-money deal should Roseman pursue it. Because Mills was released by the Patriots, he also wouldn’t count against the Eagles’ comp pick calculations.
