Patriots LB Raekwon McMillan ready for “aggressive” return to field this weekend vs. Bengals

The Patriots’ famous (or infamous, depending on how you look at it) spending spree ahead of the 2021 season saw the team shell out $222 million in an attempt at a quick and dirty rebuild at the start of the post-Tom Brady era.

There were some hits: like TE Hunter Henry, WR Kendrick Bourne, and DT Davon Godchaux who all signed extensions to return to Foxborough this offseason. And there were some misses: like WR Nelson Agholor and TE Jonnu Smith who failed to see out their original contract.

One player from that free agent class whose success in New England has yet to be determined, however, is Raekwon McMillan. The former Ohio State linebacker has had himself quite the journey throughout the first eight years of his NFL career. After winning a National Championship with the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2014, McMillan earned himself First-team All-Big Ten honors 2015 and 2016 and became a second-round pick of the Miami Dolphins in 2017.

His rookie year came to abrupt end, however, after he tore his ACL against his home-state Atlanta Falcons in is preseason debut. Some up-and-down seasons in Miami led to his contact eventually expiring, and a COVID season with the Raiders in which he started an (at the time) career-low four games.

McMillan then signed with New England in 2021. Despite re-signing several times in Foxborough, the now-28-year-old has played just 250 snaps in a Patriots uniform heading into 2024. His 2021 campaign was cut short by another ACL tear, while 2023 was halted due to an Achilles tear.

When previewing New England’s linebacker room prior to training camp, I listed McMillan as a “surprise cut” given his stance and view in the room despite his lack of production since 2021.

McMillan balled out all summer, made the final 53-man roster, and proved me wrong. I caught up with the defender this week for an exclusive interview on his journey:

“It means everything, man,” McMillan told CLNS Media when asked what it means to be back, and healthy, competing with his teammates again. “All the hard work. My brothers putting trust in me that I can come back and play… and then earning their trust over time out there on the field and stuff like that. It means everything, man.”

“I proved myself right,” he continued. “Proved my family [right], that I can go out there and still do it after being injured for three years out of my eight-year career.”

When you’re an NFL football player whose livelihood relies on your body staying healthy, season-ending injuries can be quite the derailment. Sometimes they can even end your career. McMillan admits that while missing two out of the last three seasons, that there was some doubt his tenure in the league could be over:

“I mean, there’s always doubt that creeps in your mind: Am I gonna be able to run? Am I gonna be able to jump the same way? Am I gonna be able to move?” he explained. “But I think my the trainers, and my personal trainer in Atlanta, you know, they did a good job of always instilling in me that I can be the same person as long as I want to be, and don’t focus on the things that happened in the past, but what are you gonna be like moving forward?”

And that’s exactly what McMillan did. During his hiatus from the field, the linebacker remained an active participant with the team. The linebacker was often spotted with teammates in New England’s locker room and remained a part of positional meetings to stay “mentally prepared” despite being on season-ending injured reserve. McMillan says he “accomplished a lot” despite not being on the field.

“It… just keeping my mind going on football. I wasn’t like a player’s coach to where I was coaching the guys that were playing. They were balling last year, they were playing good ball. ‘Lani [Jahlani Tavai] and Bent [Ja’Whaun Bentley] had some of their best years last year. But it was more in the sense of, when I do get back, am I mentally gonna be prepared to go out there on the field.”

He continued: “They also kept me engaged as if I was preparing for the game, then on game days I was the set eyes for them out in the field.”

“He’s a dog,” McMillan’s teammate Tavai said of him earlier this offseason.” That guy’s been through a lot and you can see the passion that he plays with… the sky’s the limit for him.”

So now that he’s back in action and ready to roll, what can we expect out of McMillan in 2024?

“Man, I gotta be I feel like I gotta be dominant on [special] teams,” he explained. “Then the opportunities that I do get on defense, man, go out there and make plays. So every time I’m out there on defense, make a play…Not always searching for a splash play, but just being aggressive like I was in preseason and keep that thing going.”

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