Patriots Jalen Mills, Jonnu Smith OUT; Roster Moves at Bills

FOXBORO — As the New England Patriots travel to Western New York for their Week 18 matchup with the Buffalo Bills, both cornerback Jalen Mills and tight end Jonnu Smith will not be among them.

The Pats downgraded the pair of 2021 free-agent signings to ‘out’ for Sunday’s game. Both Smith and Mills were initially listed as ‘questionable’ on Friday’s injury report, after being limited participants in practice.

Mills’ groin injury has limited him to only 10 starts in New England’s defensive backfield this season. The 28-year-old was last active for New England’s Thanksgiving night loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Since that time, he has alternated between being absent and participating in a limited capacity during the team’s practices throughout the week. With Sunday marking his sixth straight missed game, he will conclude the regular season with 31 tackles and a pair of interceptions over the course of 469 defensive snaps.

Mills’ absence places additional pressure on fellow cornerbacks Jonathan Jones (also ‘questionable’ with a chest injury) and rookie Marcus Jones, who was recently cleared from concussion protocol. The pair of Joneses face a formidable challenge in attempting to contain Bills’ wideouts Stefon Diggs and Game Davis on the perimeter. As a result, newly-acquired Tae Hayes stands to inherit an increased workload on Sunday. The 25-year-old, who signed with the Patriots practice squad in late December, demonstrated an impressive understanding of the Pats defensive playbook in short order. He played 24 defensive snaps, logging two solo tackles in the team’s 23-21 victory over the Miami Dolphins on New Year’s Day. For his efforts, the Patriots have reportedly signed Hayes to a two-year contract extension.

Smith was a limited practice participant on both Thursday and Friday. The 27-year old had been in concussion protocol since New England’s Week 16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. While playing a prominent role in run blocking alignments, Smith’s role as a pass-catcher has paled in comparison. He has caught 27 passes for 245 yards while appearing in 14 games, including eight starts, while logging 423 offensive snaps.

Having missed the team’s Week 17 contest against Miami, veteran tight end Matt Sokol was elevated from the practice squad and played 10 offensive snaps as the Pats second option behind starter Hunter Henry.

With Mills and Smith officially sidelined, the Patriots elevated Sokol, as well as linebacker Calvin Munson to the active roster from their practice squad. Munson was signed to the Pats scout team in October for his third tour of duty. He previously spent time on the New England practice squad in 2018 and 2019 and on the 53-man roster in 2021. He has also spent time on the active roster with the Miami Dolphins from 2019-2021. Munson has been a special teams mainstay throughout his pro career. With rookie Brenden Schooler listed as questionable with a hip injury, Munson may be depth insurance on New England’s coverage teams against Buffalo.

The Bills also also made a roster elevation for their regular-season finale, promoting receiver John Brown from their practice squad. The 32-year-old recently returned to Buffalo after two years of brief stints with the Las Vegas Raiders, Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He previously spent the 2019-20 seasons with the Bills, logging 1,518 yards on 105 receptions, and nine touchdowns. A lingering ankle injury led to Brown appearing in only eight games during the 2020 campaign. As a result, he was released by the team in the ensuing offseason.

Kickoff between the Patriots and Bills is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 8 from Highmark Stadium.

Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots

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