Malcolm Mitchell's time in New England may be coming to an end before it even really begins. The Patriots are shopping the young wideout, according to NFL Media's Tom Pelissero.
Mitchell, whom the Patriots selected in the fourth-round of the 2016 NFL Draft, caught 32 passes and scored four touchdowns in his rookie season. His breakout game came in Super Bowl LI against the Falcons, where he caught six passes for 70 yards, including five in the fourth quarter. Four of his five receptions were converted into first downs.
Fresh off his strong Super Bowl performance, Mitchell entered training camp last season as a promising piece on the Patriots' depth chart. But he missed the entire year with a knee injury, getting placed on injured reserve Sept. 7.
Even with Julian Edelman slated to miss the first four games of the season, the Patriots apparently view Mitchell as expendable. NFL Media's Ian Rapoport notes the Pats prefer deep threat Kenny Britt over Mitchell to fill out their receiver depth chart. Britt signed a two-year deal with New England last December, catching two passes to close out the regular season.
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