Falcons Encouraged to Sign Super Bowl Champion DB 'Now'

Bleacher Report's NFL scouting department argued the Atlanta Falcons should bolster their secondary after Week 2.

New England Patriots cornerback Jalen Mills / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Falcons held the Philadelphia Eagles to just 5.8 yards per pass during Week 2. Through the first two games, the Falcons have allowed the seventh-fewest passing yards in the entire NFL.

But Bleacher Report's NFL scouting department still identified No. 2 cornerback as the team's biggest weakness Tuesday. Therefore, Bleacher Report argued the Falcons should target veteran defensive back Jalen Mills in free agency.

"The Falcons secondary is pretty beat up with safety DeMarcco Hellams beginning the season on injured reserve and cornerback Antonio Hamilton dealing with a groin injury through the first two weeks," BR wrote. "Adding Mills to the practice squad or active roster would be a smart move seeing as he has experience playing safety, outside corner and nickel."

Mills began his career as a seventh-round pick for the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2016 NFL draft. But he made the team and even started two games as a rookie. Over five seasons with the Eagles, Mills played both cornerback and safety.

He started 15 games during the 2017-18 season when Philadelphia won the Super Bowl.

The past three seasons, he played both cornerback and safety for the New England Patriots. In 2023, he started eight of his 17 games, recording 45 combined tackles, 1 pass defense and 1 forced fumble.

Mills is an interesting potential addition for the Falcons. However, it's unlikely he would address the team's No. 2 cornerback spot.

According to Pro Football Focus, Mills played about 58% of his defensive snaps at safety for the Patriots in 2023. He lined up at free safety most often.

The second-most popular position for Mills in 2023 was slot cornerback. He played just 27 snaps at outside cornerback last season.

Mills is an intriguing possibility for the Falcons because of his experience. If the Falcons are indeed contenders, then they will want to add as many veterans for depth as possible in order to anticipate injuries over the course of the season.

Even with Mills, though, it's still going to be up to Mike Hughes to man the No. 2 cornerback spot.

In eight NFL seasons, Mills has posted 406 combined tackles, including 9 tackles for loss and 7 quarterback hits. He's also had 53 pass defenses and 7 interceptions.

He has started 83 games in his career.

This summer, Mills spent time with the New York Giants. The organization placed Mills on the non-football injury list at the start of training camp, and then released the veteran on August 15.