Patriots To Place WR Malcolm Mitchell On IR

The Patriots are placing wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell on Injured Reserve, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 

Mitchell, selected in the fourth round of last year’s draft, had a strong rookie campaign for New England, catching 32 passes for 401 yards and four touchdowns. Unfortunately, he was slowed by a knee injury in Week 16 last season and was sidelined until midway through the postseason. The injury bug has gotten him once again, this time just hours before the 2017 season kickoff.

Mitchell has a strong rapport with Tom Brady, so the Pats would like to bring him back off of IR, if possible. If he can recover from his injury during the year, the Patriots can use one of their two IR-DTR spots to return him to the roster after eight weeks.

New England’s trade for 2015 Colts first-rounder Phillip Dorsett makes more sense now. While Dorsett has proven little as a wide receiver, he could be in line for some work soon now that Mitchell’s out. And despite his lack of a reputation for pass-catching competency, Dorsett still caught 33 passes for 528 yards last season. He and Danny Amendola are likely to join more prominent performers Brandin Cooks and Chris Hogan as auxiliary targets.