Who will take over as top corner for the Pats?

One year after trading former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore, the Patriots are still searching for a replacement. Who will emerge to take over as New England’s top corner?

The Patriots seemingly had Gilmore’s replacement in J.C. Jackson. After Jackson signed a 5 year, $82.5 million deal with San Diego in March, the Pats are once again searching for a true #1 option at corner.

Jackson recorded 17 interceptions over the last two seasons, and his departure leaves a glaring hole in the New England secondary. The Patriots defense has been at its best when they’ve had a true shutdown corner (Ty Law, Aqib Talib, Darrell Revis, Gilmore).

With limited cap space in the offseason, the Patriots opted to take a second chance on old friend Malcolm Butler. He hadn’t played in the NFL since 2020 with the Arizona Cardinals. Butler played 23 snaps and recovered a fumble in the preseason opener against the Giants last week. Despite an encouraging first appearance, Butler was placed on season ending injured reserve on Tuesday.

Former second round pick Joejuan Williams was also shut down for the season on Monday. He was viewed as a long shot to make the Patriots roster out of training camp. Williams joins N’Keal Harry as a headlining member of the massively disappointing 2019 draft class.

Jalen Mills

The top contender for the #1 corner role in New England appears to be former Eagles defensive back Jalen Mills. He’s entering his second season in New England after signing a 4 year, $24 million contract ahead of the 2021 season.

Evan Lazar of Patriots.com published a thorough breakdown of each positional group for the Patriots, and speaks glowingly of Mills performance at camp thus far.