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Jalen Mills

Texans Sign DB Jalen Mills

August 10th, 2025 at 8:07am CST by Rory Parks

The Texans have signed veteran defensive back Jalen Mills, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Houston brought Mills in for a workout last week, and with some uncertainty surrounding several members of its safety depth chart, the club has found an experienced reinforcement.

Mills, 31, entered the NFL as a seventh-round pick of the Eagles in 2016, and he spent most of his first few seasons in the league at cornerback. In 2020, however, Philadelphia moved him all over the secondary, and he turned in one of the best seasons of his career (74 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one interception, 68.9 Pro Football Focus grade). That performance earned him a four-year, $24MM deal from the Patriots in 2021.

New England deployed him primarily as a cornerback over his first two years in Foxborough, but after the team cut and re-signed him in 2023, he was utilized more as a safety. As of last offseason, he was no longer in the club’s plans, and when a Giants contract failed to produce a roster spot in 2024, he caught on with the Jets’ taxi squad. He ultimately appeared in nine games (eight starts) for Gang Green, spending most of his time at safety and recording 44 tackles and a pick.

Veteran C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who was acquired via trade with the Eagles in March, recently suffered a knee injury in practice. He did not tear his ACL, as was initially feared, but it is unclear when he will return to the field. Dianna Russini of The Athletic (subscription required) said the injury was not a season-ender, and both ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via ESPN colleague DJ Bien-Aime) and Aaron Wilson of KPRC2.com indicated CJGJ could be available for Week 1 (with Wilson adding rest and rehab, or perhaps a PRP injection, could do the trick).

Fellow safety Jimmie Ward  – who remains on the PUP list due to offseason foot surgery – is facing a felony domestic violence charge. His next court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday. And as Wilson observes in a separate piece, rookie safety Jaylen Reed is dealing with an ankle injury and is expected to miss about three weeks.

The Texans were clearly in need of some cover at the safety position, and Mills, a Super Bowl champion and veteran of 115 NFL appearances (including 91 starts), will at least help the club get through the rest of camp and the preseason schedule. The Dallas native’s spot on the roster is hardly assured, but it would not be surprising to see him stick around as tested and versatile depth. 

DB Rumors: Savage, Jaguars, Horn, Steelers, Sutton, Lions, Texans, Patriots

August 6th, 2025 at 1:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jaguars‘ Jourdan Lewis signing covers their slot cornerback position, moving Darnell Savage into a pure safety role. Savage had split time between the slot and traditional safety responsibilities last season, but Lewis’ arrival narrows the former first-rounder’s path to playing time. Savage is not a lock to start alongside FA pickup Eric Murray, however, with ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco indicating veterans Andrew Wingard and Antonio Johnson are competing for the other Jags safety spot. Wingard appears a slight favorite entering the preseason slate, per DiRocco.

Moving to a backup role would be a blow for Savage, who is tied to a three-year, $21.75MM deal. While the Trent Baalke-Doug Pederson regime authorized that contract, it would cost the Jags more than $10MM to cut Savage and more than $8MM to trade him. Both scenarios defray money to 2026, as we are well past June 1, so the 2025 cap hit would be manageable in each case. But this will be a position battle to watch. Wingard’s six Jags seasons make him the team’s second-longest-tenured player, behind only punter Logan Cooke, but while he has been a part-timer (28 starts), Savage has logged 82 starts between his time in Green Bay and Jacksonville. That said, DiRocco adds Wingard had beaten out Johnson — a 2023 fifth-rounder who has now made 11 career starts — for a gig alongside the since-departed Andre Cisco last year. A preseason knee injury scuttled that plan.

Here is the latest from NFL secondaries:

  • The Panthers saw a car accident alter their quarterback plan last year. The minor injuries Andy Dalton sustained in a wreck near the stadium moved Bryce Young back into the starting lineup. Carolina looks to have dodged a bullet in another car-accident storyline, as Jaycee Horn is believed (via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter) to have sustained minor maladies in a crash Wednesday morning. Horn confirmed as much (on Twitter). Injuries have hounded Horn throughout his career, but the Panthers gave the 2024 Pro Bowler a $25MM-per-year extension.
  • Rock Ya-Sin‘s veteran-minimum Lions contract (one year, $1.17MM) now includes a position switch. The defending NFC North champs are trying the journeyman cornerback at safety, Lions.com’s Tim Twentyman notes. New safeties coach Jim O’Neil had told Ya-Sin to prepare for some safety work in camp; Ya-Sin had not played safety since high school. The Lions are deep at corner, housing Avonte Maddox and Ennis Rakestraw as backups behind a Terrion Arnold–D.J. Reed–Amik Robertson top three. Ya-Sin may now be vying for a spot behind standout safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch.
  • Former Lions CB starter Cameron Sutton received his walking papers after a spring 2024 arrest produced a domestic battery by strangulation charge. His case has since been dismissed, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes. The Lions cut bait on a three-year, $33MM deal, leading Sutton to the Steelers. The NFL handed him an eight-game suspension last season. Sutton, 30, is a free agent after starting two Steelers games last season.
  • The Steelers checked in on C.J. Henderson via a Tuesday workout (per Wilson). A former top-10 Jaguars pick, Henderson auditioned for the Falcons last week. The Steelers, who rostered Henderson for part of last season, signed another CB from that workout (Daryl Porter Jr.). After 22 Panthers starts from 2021-23, Henderson landed on the Steelers’ IR in November, not playing a 2024 snap.
  • Jalen Mills joins Sutton and Henderson in being unsigned; the Eagles, Patriots and Jets regular completed a Texans workout Tuesday, Wilson adds. Mills, 31, made eight starts with the Jets last season, running his career total — split between safety and corner — to 91.
  • A sixth-round Seahawks pick in 2024, DJ James spent most of last season on the Patriots‘ practice squad. While James has yet to play a regular-season snap, the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed expects him to make the Pats’ 53-man roster. With Carlton Davis and Christian Gonzalez being held out of team drills, James has worked alongside Alex Austin as first-teamers filling in. James failed to make Seattle’s 53-man roster last August.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/18/24

December 18th, 2024 at 7:32pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s minor NFL moves across the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

Indianapolis Colts

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Mills, the former Eagles’ and Patriots’ starter had taken on a bigger role in New York as usual starter Tony Adams took fewer snaps due to a hamstring injury. He’ll miss the remainder of the season due to a broken collar bone.

Forsythe had taken over as the starting right tackle following an injury to George Fant in the season opener before ending up on injured reserve himself with a hand injury.

Watts’ 21-day practice window has come and gone without an activation. As a result, he’ll revert back to IR without the ability to be activated.

Jets Rumors: HCs, Kingsbury, Johnson, Moses, Adams, McDonald

November 17th, 2024 at 10:02pm CST by Ely Allen

There are going to be plenty of question marks for the Jets to solve this offseason, but the most important one is going to be the head coaching position. After firing Robert Saleh in early-October, Jeff Ulbrich has been serving as interim head coach, but in the last ten years, only three of 23 interim coaches have been hired for the official job following their interim duties.

According to Connor Hughes of SportsNet New York, team owner Woody Johnson is overseeing the head coaching search, and the organization has already “started putting feelers out on potential head coaching candidates.” This doesn’t bode well for Ulbrich, who has only gone 1-5 since taking over as the interim head coach.

Here are a few other rumors coming out of New York:

  • Speaking of head coaching searches, Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury interviewed for the Jets’ open job back in 2019. According to Brian Costello of the New York Post, Kingsbury’s interview “went terribly,” partially due to the fact that he likely already knew that the Cardinals’ job was his. Six years later, Kingsbury’s name is likely to pop up again this offseason in head coaching conversations. He may get a second chance at his Jets interview.
  • With a head coaching search in progress and a potential change in general manager looming, as well, Johnson’s role as owner becomes a crucial one. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, though, there’s reportedly uncertainty because of Johnson’s volatility. Specifically, there appears to be a sense that Johnson takes too many opinions from “nonfootball people” and listens far too often to social media and the internet. That’s a scary concept for Jets fans to swallow as they gear up for another potential rebuild.
  • According to Costello, Jets starting right tackle Morgan Moses has been playing through a grade 2 MCL sprain, a meniscus issue, and a fracture in his knee for the last several weeks. Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Moses has been “sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber and rehabbing around the clock” in order to get into playing shape each week.
  • Per Rich Cimini of ESPN, the Jets are experimenting with giving starting safety Tony Adams a bit less time on the field. An every-down player since 2023, Adams is the team’s third-leading tackler this season despite missing four tackles last week and missing the prior two games with a hamstring injury. Jalen Mills had been filling in during Adams’ absence, and he may be taking up the slack as Adams handles a reduced role.
  • Defensive end Will McDonald didn’t do too much to live up to his first-round draft status as a rookie last year. In Year 2, McDonald is looking much more worthy of the Day 1 pick, totaling eight sacks in ten games this season. There were assumptions after the draft that the Jets had reached for McDonald after the Steelers traded ahead of them to draft offensive tackle Broderick Jones, the assumed target of New York. According to Cimini, general manager Joe Douglas always preferred McDonald over Jones, intending to pair him opposite their first-round pick from the previous year, Jermaine Johnson, for the foreseeable future. McDonald’s sophomore success has made it clear that perhaps the Jets did not reach, as many assumed.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/23/24

October 23rd, 2024 at 7:33pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: LS Matt Orzech
  • Waived: DL Jonathan Ford

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

The Bears should soon be getting some offensive reinforcement. Most notably, lineman Larry Borom returned to practice today after missing the first chunk of the season with an ankle injury. The former fifth-round pick has been a reliable swing OT for the Bears over the past three years, starting 23 of his 39 appearances. The team will also welcome back Travis Homer, who has been sidelined since Week 3 with a finger injury. The veteran RB may have a tough time cracking the rotation upon his return with D’Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, and Khalil Herbert currently leading the depth chart. The Bears will have 21 days to activate either of the two players to the 53-man roster.

Jordan Phillips was back at Cowboys practice today after landing on IR in mid-September. The defensive lineman’s injury wasn’t ever made particularly clear; the Cowboys claimed the player was favoring his previously repaired wrist, although the player later hinted that he was forced to the sideline because of conditioning. After more than a month on the shelf, the veteran will now get another look. The Cowboys acquired Phillips from the Giants back in August, and the veteran only got into about one fourth of his team’s defensive snaps before landing on IR. Phillips appeared in 26 games for the Bills between 2022 and 2023, collecting 35 tackles and four sacks.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/19/24

October 19th, 2024 at 6:29pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor moves and standard gameday practice squad callups:

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Autry was hit with a six-game PED suspension in July, leaving the Texans without a key figure along the defensive line. The free agent pickup could have suited up by means of Houston using his one-week roster exemption; instead, he has been activated in time for Week 7. Autry, 34, posted a career-high 11 sacks last season and he will look to make an immediate impact during his Texans debut. Especially with Mario Edwards having been issued a four-game suspension of his own earlier this week, he should have a notable role right away.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/14/24

October 14th, 2024 at 6:39pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are the latest transactions from around the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Houston Texans

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Jones will get to make his Cardinals debut in Week 7 after serving a five-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Arizona requested and received a one-week roster exemption so Jones could get acclimated to his new offense before being added to the 53-man roster. He will bring a veteran presence to a young Cardinals receiver room that lost Marvin Harrison Jr. to a concussion on Sunday.

Jets Sign DB Jalen Mills To Practice Squad

September 23rd, 2024 at 5:55pm CST by Ben Levine

The Jets are adding some depth to their secondary. The team is signing defensive back Jalen Mills to the practice squad, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Jets are plenty familiar with Mills after he spent the past three seasons with their division rival in New England. Mills played a handful of different roles during his time with the Patriots. After spending his first two years with the team as a cornerback, he spent the 2023 campaign at safety. He only graded 75th among 95 qualifying safeties on Pro Football Focus, and the Patriots ultimately decided to move on this past offseason.

Mills caught on with the Giants back in March but spent most of his stint with the team on the NFI. He was cut by the Giants in August and has spent the first few weeks of the regular season unsigned.

While Mills struggled last season, there’s a chance he still has something left in the tank. The veteran got into 90 percent of his team’s defensive snaps as recently as 2021, and he was a staple of Doug Pederson‘s defense during his time in Philly (where he won a Super Bowl in 2017 as a starting CB). Current Jets GM Joe Douglas was in Philly’s front office for much of Mills’ tenure in Philly, so the executive is probably plenty familiar with what he’s getting.

It’s uncertain exactly where Mills would fit in New York. The team is locked in at cornerback with Sauce Gardner, D.J. Reed, and Michael Carter II, and safeties Chuck Clark and Tony Adams have barely missed any snaps this season. Most likely, Mills will provide the Jets with some veteran insurance in the likely chance that an injury pops up.

Giants To Release DB Jalen Mills

August 15th, 2024 at 9:03am CST by Adam La Rose

Jalen Mills was placed on the non-football injury list in July, preventing him from taking part in the Giants’ training camp. The veteran defensive back is no longer in the team’s plans, but he could find a deal in advance of the regular season.

Mills is being released from the NFI list, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. He adds the 30-year-old has now recovered from the calf strain he was dealing with, and as a result he could draw attention as a free agent. Once his release becomes official, Mills will be eligible to sign with an interested team (rather than having to clear waivers).

Beginning his career as a corner with the Eagles, the former seventh-rounder has also seen time at safety. Mills spent the past three seasons with New England, serving as a regular on defense. He saw his playing time drop considerably from 2021 to ’22 and then again last year, though. Mills quickly agreed to terms on a one-year Giants pact aimed at helping to fill the void created by Xavier McKinney‘s departure.

That contract only contained $468K in guarantees, so releasing Mills will not carry major financial implications for the Giants. The team’s attention will remain focused on finding a safety partner for Jason Pinnock in the starting lineup, an ongoing competition between Dane Belton and second-round rookie Tyler Nubin. Belton appears to have the have the inside track on a first-team gig, although plenty can change over the coming weeks.

Mills is a veteran of 106 games and 83 starts. He logged a 90% defensive snap share as recently as 2021, so he could be counted on to at least handle a rotational role in the secondary upon finding a new team. It will be interesting to see if his market takes shape right away, or if he will need to wait for roster cutdowns at the end of the month to determine his next move.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/23/24

July 23rd, 2024 at 8:25pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: OT Julién Davenport

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

  • Reverted to IR: WR Jared Wayne
  • Released from IR: WR Jaxon Janke

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

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