Giants Make Safety Room Weaker With Jalen Mills Release

If there was one major weakness of the New York Giants entering the 2024 season, most people predicted it would be the secondary.

With multiple starting cornerbacks  drafted within each of the last two drafts and a safety room that had little veteran leadership and plenty of youthful enthusiasm has New York set for growing pains.

On Thursday, the unit lost even more veteran leadership.

It's why the Giants' release of veteran Jalen Mills has come as such a surprise.

On the practice field, Mills has done very little. The former Philadelphia Eagles has been on the NFI list after arriving to camp on a calf strain. He was getting closer to returning to the field according to Giants head coach Brian Daboll, but ended up not doing so.

So why the decision to release him?

With Mills playing as a third safety and nickel cornerback, the veteran was seen on the depth chart behind players like Isaiah Simmons, Nick McCloud, and third-round pick Dru Phillips.

Related: Giants Sign Second Safety Amidst Injuries

With just $300,000 guaranteed this upcoming season on his deal, it's not outlandish to see why the Giants felt they could get younger or use a roster spot on a player other than Mills, especially someone in good health.

Still, it only adds more of a question to a secondary that projects to be vulnerable in 2024.