Mills glad to be back patrolling secondary
FOXBOROUGH — Jalen Mills took to social media in the offseason to remind folks of his versatility.
Now he plans to do the same on the field.
With rumors swirling of his imminent release by the Patriots, the 29-year-old veteran, who played cornerback the last two seasons, took to Twitter to post a couple of notes, including, “Y’all know I really play safety right?” and “Y’all know I’m really a hybrid right?”
They led to a lot of speculation — and eventually a reworked contract to stay in New England, a place he never wanted to leave.
“That’s in the past now,” Mills said Tuesday about roller coaster March. “Yeah, man, that’s in the past. I’m here, I’m happy. I wanted to be a Patriot, and like I said, I’m here.”
Mills was here, there, and everywhere during the latest OTA session. While he was pretty much a boundary corner previously, Mills now will roam all over the second and third levels of the defense. His familiarity with the varied schemes run by Jerod Mayo and Steve Belichick makes him a natural fit in a hybrid role.
Mills said he learned a lot the last two seasons by watching the multiple roles played by newly retired Devin McCourty, a person Mills will now help to replace.
“He had some versatility as well as [Jabrill Peppers, Adrian Phillips, Kyle Dugger] and Jon Jones and a couple of the young guys,” said Mills. “So, I definitely feel a lot more comfortable.
“It’s been good. I’m getting some good tips from the coaches. Just trying to go out there and execute at a really high level.”
Though Mills acknowledged a switch to safety was not something he was expecting, he has an open line of communication with the coaching staff about what they are looking for.
“It’s really on them and kind of the guys in the secondary, we come out in the huddle, and I might be out there with Pep and Dugg and they’re like, ‘Go to nickel this drive,’ or they might be like, ‘Hey, go get on a tight end this job.’ They might be like, ‘Hey, go to the middle on this job,’ ” said Mills.
“So, I think it’s just like, let’s talk about the versatility of value. You play every different thing. Now quarterbacks can’t just say, ‘OK, this guy’s going to be here, this guy’s going to be there.’ ”
Bill Belichick said he is pleased with what he has seen from Mills.
“Jalen’s a smart kid,” said the coach. “He’s got a lot of playing experience in different spots. He’s done a good job for us.”
Here are some other observations from Tuesday’s workout:
R Though Belichick predicted a slower day, things got a little up-tempo late in the session when a minor kerfuffle broke out during an 11-on-11 period. Left guard Cole Strange and linebacker Anfernee Jennings did a little post-whistle shoving that led to a bigger scrum.
During the dust-up, defensive tackle Christian Barmore took a swing at Strange, which prompted center/captain David Andrews to get into Barmore’s grill. Both Strange and Barmore were held out of reps for the rest of the day.
“We have highs and lows at practice all the time,” said Deatrich Wise Jr. “Like I tell my teammates, ‘We’ve got to learn how to stay on an even keel.’ ”
R None of the projected top four receivers were in the mix: DeVante Parker, JuJu SmithSchuster, Tyquan Thornton, and Kendrick Bourne. That left a receiving corps of Tre Nixon, Raleigh Webb, and rookies Kayshon Boutte, Demario Douglas, Malik Cunningham, and Ed Lee.
R Those who did some rehab work: Parker, Phillips, running back James Robinson, special teamer Cody Davis, and guard Chasen Hines.
R Quarterback Mac Jones held a side session with tight ends Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki and running back Rhamondre Stevenson.
R The quarterbacks — Jones, Bailey Zappe, and Trace McSorley — all stayed well after practice to get in extra throws.
R Plenty of players ran penalty laps for various infractions, including jumping offsides, pass interference, etc. Wise, one of those penalized, had an insightful answer when asked what he thinks about when he runs those lonely laps.
“I try to move on to the next play,” he said. “Face the music, bite the bullet. I know things like that can hurt the team, but also at the same time I always tell myself, ‘Just move on to the next play and don’t let the last play affect the next one.’ ”