Patriots Reportedly Cutting Veteran Cornerback Ahead Of Roster Deadline

The New England Patriots signed two veteran cornerbacks this spring. Neither will be on their initial 53-man roster.

The Patriots plan to release journeyman Terrance Mitchell ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET roster cutdown deadline, per a report from ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

A full-time starter for the Cleveland Browns in 2020 and the Houston Texans in 2021, Mitchell entered training camp as a strong candidate for a starting outside cornerback job in New England. But those ultimately went to Jalen Mills and Jonathan Jones, and Mitchell spent most of camp repping with the second team.

That the Patriots felt more comfortable moving Jones away of his natural slot position than putting Mitchell in their starting lineup was a bad sign for the 30-year-old’s roster status.

Fourth-round rookie Jack Jones’ promising play this summer — including a standout game in last Friday’s preseason finale in Las Vegas — also likely contributed to Mitchell’s release. Mitchell and second-year pro Shaun Wade may have been fighting for one roster spot. It remains to be seen whether Wade made the cut.

Earlier this month, the Patriots placed veteran corner Malcolm Butler on injured reserve. They released Butler from IR with an injury settlement over the weekend.