With Ja’Whaun Bentley out, his ‘right hand man’ Raekwon McMillan has a chance to shine

Raekwon McMillan is no stranger to the frustration that comes with suffering a season-ending injury. He has experienced that feeling twice in his four years with the Patriots after tearing his ACL in 2021 and his achilles in 2023.

But now, McMillan is healthy and he has a big opportunity in front of him with fellow linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle.

McMillan was the next man up after Bentley went down last Sunday, and while he empathizes with his teammate, he’s also excited to show what he can do.

“It’s definitely a humbling experience,” McMillan said. “I’ve been on the other side of things where I was the guy that was promising and supposed to come in and play these snaps and then get hurt with a season-ending injury not once but twice.”

“I wish my brother was here with us,” he added. “I’m going to be there for him as long as his whole journey is going, but it’s an opportunity to come out here, play good, and compete for this defense.”

McMillan said he didn’t know that Bentley was hurt when he subbed in on Sunday. He finished the game and is expected to have a bigger role on Thursday night against the Jets.

“I went in, coach told me I was going in the next series as a rotational thing,” McMillan said. “I was probably going to play two series or something like that.”

“But I ended up staying in the game and my boy [Jahlani Tavai] helped me a lot out there on the field,” he continued. “We’re just running mates, playing good ball and running to the ball. That’s what we’ve got to showcase on Thursday.”

Bentley’s absence will be a significant blow for the Patriots. He led the team in tackles the past three seasons and was off to a strong start with 12 against the Bengals in the season opener.

But, Bentley’s impact on this team is about more than just his stat line, defensive lineman Deatrich Wise said. He’s a team captain and a significant voice in the locker room.

“He means a lot to us. He’s our voice He gives great, uplifting motivational speeches during practices, during the game, and after the game,” Wise said.

“He’s the voice of our defense and our team, so he’ll definitely be missed but I know he’ll be back. When he gets back he’ll be welcomed back with warm arms and jokes to make him laugh and stuff. So, we definitely miss him.”

McMillan and Bentley built a rapport on and off the field over the past four seasons. Wise described their relationship as “two peas in a pod.” It was tough to hear the news that Bentley will be gone for a while, McMillan said.

“Even the days off that we have, we go bowling together, we chill together, we took trips together during the summer,” McMillan said. “He’s like my brother now. I’ve been with him for four years. His presence is going to be missed and I can’t wait for him to get back.”

Still, the opportunity has been a “long time coming” for the 27-year-old McMillan after recovering from his injuries. The recovery process from his achilles tear wasn’t easy and tested him both physically and emotionally.

“It was just me building back confidence in myself,” McMillan said. “There were times I would wake up some days and didn’t feel like I would be able to play football at this level again.

“Some days I woke up and didn’t know if I could jump and touch the rim again in my life,” he added. “It’s been a process of going back and forth between myself, if I can do it or not, if I’m going to be the same anymore and stuff like that. But once I got over that hump of being emotionally tired and all that stuff I was good.”

Although McMillan hasn’t played much over the past few years, Wise said his confidence level in McMilan is high.

“I think he’s more than ready. Definitely qualified for the job,” Wise said. “He’s a guy that hasn’t had a lot of opportunity because of [Bentley] but he’s a guy I believe is going to lead our defense as well. If you think of a captain of a ship, there’s always a second who is like their right hand man.”

“That’s Raekwon right there. We know the second is as good as the captain, if not better in certain areas. Raekwon is very fast. He can lay the boom, fly around from sideline to sideline, and cover. So, watch out. Watch what he does this year.”