Patriots activate cornerbacks Jalen Mills, Shaun Wade off Covid-19 reserve list after playoff loss to Bills

The New England Patriots activated cornerbacks Jalen Mills and Shaun Wade off the Covid-19 reserve list on Monday, according to the NFL transaction wire.

Neither had been cleared by 4 p.m. ET on the eve of what became a 47-17 wild-card loss to the Buffalo Bills. In their absence Saturday at Highmark Stadium, Joejuan Williams, Myles Bryant, Justin Bethel and elevations D’Angelo Ross and De’Vante Bausby saw snaps in the secondary alongside Pro Bowler J.C. Jackson.

Mills, 27, started all 16 of his appearances in the regular season after arriving from the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent last March. The 2016 seventh-round pick out of LSU recorded 47 tackles, one fumble recovery and seven passes deflected over that span. His 913 defensive snaps finished third on the defense, and Pro Football Focus charted his coverage for no more than 20 receiving yards allowed in seven of his final eight games.

Wade, 23, saw action in three contests during his rookie campaign with New England, recording one tackle through 11 snaps on defense and seven snaps on special teams. The Baltimore Ravens selected the Ohio State product in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL draft at No. 150 overall. He was subsequently acquired in August in exchange for a 2022 seventh-round pick and a 2023 fifth-round pick.

New England had placed Mills on Covid-19 reserve last Tuesday, two afternoons after Wade was added to the injury report with an illness and retroactively moved to the list.