FOXBORO, Mass. — Back in February, Jerod Mayo said the New England Patriots’ defense needed to get faster after crumbling down the stretch in 2021.
Were they able to accomplish that? Absolutely, according to one veteran starter.
“One hundred percent,” cornerback Jalen Mills said Thursday after the Patriots’ eighth practice of training camp — a camp that, on the whole, has been dominated by New England’s D.
Mills, who projects as the Patriots’ No. 1 corner, said the increase in speed has been particularly noticeable in Mayo’s position group: the linebacking corps, which parted ways with experienced but not especially fleet-footed ‘backers Dont’a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins this offseason.
In their absence, Raekwon McMillan and trade acquisition Mack Wilson look poised to play prominent roles alongside returning starters Ja’Whaun Bentley and Matthew Judon. At 6-foot-2, 242 pounds and 6-1, 233, respectively, McMillan and Wilson are smaller and quicker than traditional Patriots linebackers, and both have made positive impressions in training camp.
“Definitely within that linebacker corps,” Mills said. “You’ve got Mack, you’ve got Kwon, Bentley, and you’ve got the young guys, too. Those guys are flying around.”
Eight days into camp, Bentley and McMillan look like the favorites to start at inside linebacker, with Wilson — who came over from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for Chase Winovich — rotating in on passing downs. Players like Josh Uche, Anfernee Jennings, Cameron McGrone and Ronnie Perkins also are competing for roles, with 2021 draftees McGrone and Perkins mostly seeing action on the scout team thus far.
McMillian joined the Patriots last offseason but missed the entire 2021 season with a torn ACL. Despite the injury, he re-signed with New England during the season and has garnered rave reviews from his teammates and coaches since his return to the field.
“We got one guy that’s really a hammer (Bentley) and one guy who’s very versatile than can do a bunch of different things (McMillan),” Mayo said earlier this week. “Raekwon’s done an excellent job for us, and you all know what Bentley is capable of doing. So, it’s always good to have a combination of skills, complementary players on the field.”
The Patriots hope this new-look group will prove more capable of keeping up with opponents like the AFC East rival Buffalo Bills, who exposed their lack of second-level speed in two lopsided wins late last season. New England also loaded up on hybrid safeties this offseason, adding Jabrill Peppers to a group that already featured Devin McCourty, Adrian Phillips and Kyle Dugger.
At cornerback, the Patriots are forging a new path after losing Pro Bowler J.C. Jackson in free agency. Rather than headlining that group with a true lockdown cover man, as they have in every season since 2012, they’re rolling with a balanced group, with veteran newcomers Terrance Mitchell and Malcolm Butler and draft picks Marcus Jones and Jack Jones joining the likes of Mills, Jonathan Jones and Myles Bryant.
“We can move guys in different positions, give quarterbacks different looks, and we know it’s not going to be a dropoff,” Mills said. “… I think the versatility is a great thing in our secondary.”
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