The Patriots intend to part ways with one of their projected starters in the secondary. New England will release cornerback Terrance Mitchell, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss (Twitter link).
The 30-year-old suffered the same fate in March, when the Texans moved on from him. That ended his one-year stay in Houston, during which he started 13 of 14 contests, totaling 60 tackles, one interception and 10 passes defensed. He allowed a sub-60% completion rate in coverage but was responsible for five touchdowns allowed, the second-highest figure of his career in that regard.
Mitchell was initially slated to start on the outside for the Patriots alongside Jalen Mills. However, he lost his grip on a first-team spot, as New England made a number of moves at the position. One of those was a reunion with Malcolm Butler, though he has since been released as well. The team also lost Joejuan Williams to season-ending shoulder injury, leaving the CB depth a question mark.
Without Mitchell (not to mention J.C. Jackson, who inked a big-money deal with the Chargers in free agency), New England will move forward with Mills and Jonathan Jones on the perimeter, along with rookies Marcus Jones and Jack Jones as depth options. The absences of Butler and Williams could leave the Patriots as a logical landing spot for a late addition at the position.
New England is also waiving rookie RB Kevin Harris, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter link). The sixth-rounder took a step back in terms of production during his final season at South Carolina but has an 1,138-yard, 15-touchdown campaign to his name. He will, presumably, be a practice squad candidate for the team to use as insurance behind Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson, Ty Montgomery and fellow rookie Pierre Strong Jr.
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