Patriots gridiron news: Don’t forget about Malcolm Mitchell
New England Patriots second-year receiver Malcolm Mitchell may actually not be done for the year after all.
If you think the New England Patriots offense is unstoppable now, imagine if they get another one of their weapons back this season.
No, there is no magic healing ailment that will bring Julian Edelman back this season, but there is a chance Patriots fans will see second-year wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell.
After landing on injured reserve Sept. 7 due to a knee issue, the Georgia Bulldogs alum could be eligible to return if the team decides to activate him from the injured reserve spot. While it will ultimately be a team decision, Mitchell has expressed his hunger to return via an Instagram post on Monday:
According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Mitchell is scheduled to be evaluated this week. Has he made enough progress physically for the team to re-activate him?
The answer to that question should come somewhere towards the end of the week. In the meantime, the prospect of a Malcolm Mitchell return would give the New England Patriots great depth at the wide receiver position. The team would have Brandin Cooks, Danny Amendola, Phillip Dorsett and Chris Hogan once he returns from a shoulder injury.
Adding Mitchell to that mix would give Tom Brady and the Patriots’ offense a lot of versatility within their wide receiver group.
In his rookie season, Mitchell played in 14 games with 32 catches for 401 yards and four touchdowns. He also made big contributions in Super Bowl LI, which was key during the team’s historic comeback victory.
Patriots release Cassius Marsh
Despite the team’s improvement on defense, a surprise move was made on Tuesday.
As first reported by ESPN, the Patriots have released veteran defensive end Cassius Marsh after he struggled once again on defense.
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While the decision is not a major shock due to those struggles, it is surprising based on the team’s lack of depth at that position and the fact they gave up a fifth and seventh-round pick to acquire Marsh.
To fill the void left by Cassius Marsh, the Patriots have signed defensive end Eric Lee off the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad. Lee is a 6-foot-3, 260-pound undrafted free agent out of South Florida.
With the team’s luck with former Bills players, it wouldn’t be a shock if Lee made some sort of contribution at some point during the remainder of the season.
Week 12 NFL Power Rankings
ESPN’s Week 12 Power Rankings is out and the New England Patriots remain at No. 2 following a 33-8 spanking of the Oakland Raiders.
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While the Patriots are trending up following a 2-2 start, the ranking is not surprising given the way the Philadelphia Eagles have been playing. The NFC powerhouse still holds the No. 1 spot. Pittsburgh, Minnesota and the New Orleans Saints round out the top 5 this week.