The New England Patriots finally decided to release wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell on Monday, and it seems clear that the move had more to do with health than anything else.
Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports that the reason New England decided to part ways with Mitchell is that the former fourth-round pick has a “badly damaged right knee.” One source told Howe that the Patriots attempted to trade Mitchell last month, but their proposals were denied when they asked at least one team for a seventh-round pick in return.
Mitchell, who did not play at all in 2017, has knees issues that date back to his time at Georgia. He had three surgeries between 2013 and 2014 to repair a torn meniscus and a torn ACL, and he suffered another injury to the same knee toward the end of his rookie season in 2016. He ended up missing two games before returning to play a big role in the playoffs, catching six passes for 70 yards and helping the Patriots pull off a history comeback against the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl.
Unfortunately, Mitchell just can’t seem to get healthy. He injured his knee on the first day of training camp last year and did not end up taking the field during the regular season. The same happened during the first workout of organized team activities this year, and Howe reports that the Patriots began exploring trade options at that point. Given his extensive injury history, no teams were willing to give up anything — even a seventh-round pick — for Mitchell.
Mitchell is not the first wide receiver the Patriots have cut this offseason because of an injury, and they also have to find a way to overcome Julian Edelman’s four-game suspension. If one or more players don’t step up for the first month of the season, Tom Brady will have a challenging task ahead of him.
