The New England Patriots devoted a whole lot of money to addressing their defense in free agency, and that included signed cornerback Carlton Davis to provide some support for Christian Gonzalez.
However, the Patriots still lack depth at the cornerback, which is why Mason Cameron of Pro Football Focus feels they should be targeting some help at the position before the start of the 2025 NFL season.
In a piece where Cameron named one remaining offseason move each AFC team should make, he urged New England to sign defensive back Mike Hilton.
"Mike Vrabel has put his stamp on this roster, using the Patriots‘ ample cap space to overhaul the roster. One more spot worth boosting is slot cornerback," Cameron wrote. "While Marcus Jones played well there last season (76.1 PFF coverage grade), adding a veteran to the mix secures this unit with depth. Mike Hilton fits the bill with his 77.3 PFF slot coverage grade over the past two seasons, which ranks in the 82nd percentile."
Hilton spent the last four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and is coming off of a 2024 campaign in which he registered 73 tackles, an interception and five passes defended in 16 games.
The 31-year-old went undrafted but eventually landed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017, where he resided for the first five years of his NFL tenure.
While Hilton has never been a star, there is no doubt that the Ole Miss product was a steady presence in the secondary for both the Steelers and the Bengals, with his best stretch coming between 2019 and 2020 when he totaled four picks, 18 passes defended and even 4.5 sacks.
Hilton proved last season that he is still a very capable defender, so the Pats may be wise to bring him on as a depth piece.
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