FOXBORO -- On Monday, there was a report the Patriots were shopping third-year wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell, but then hours after that report came out it was reported he had a knee procedure and his season could be in jeopardy.
At his first training camp press conference Wednesday, Bill Belichick was asked directly if the report of the organization shopping Mitchell was true and the coach referred to it as "media speculation."
"I am not really going to engage in media speculation, unless you have some professional comment on that, which I haven't seen any," he said. "I certainly haven't talked to any media person about Malcolm Mitchell, so you'll have to talk to whoever that is."
Mitchell, who has battled knee injuries since college, missed the entire 2017 season because of another one. Belichick was asked about the way he approached his rehab and working his way back onto the field, and it didn't seem there was any issue there.
"I think all of our players work hard," he said. "We have a good training staff. We have a good medical staff. I think all of our players have been accountable and have done the rehabilitation that either us, them, or some third-party has been involved in. We haven't had a guy in a long time that hasn't been compliant or diligent with trying to do what he can do to get on the field. Some things respond at different rates than others."
As for exactly where Mitchell is physically right now, Belichick wouldn't say.
"I can't really do that now, no," he said. "That is kind of where we are on these first few days of training camp. Physicals, conditioning runs, and so forth. That is really for every player. Some of the players who haven't had any injuries or setbacks, or haven't been getting treatment for anything, you kind of know where those guys are. But we have a number of players who are in various I would say varying degrees of availability, or in various stages of rehabilitation in preparation for the season. Those guys have been not away from us for a month, but they have been treated, they haven't been active on the football field and as we get into those drills and periods then we will know more. We will place some players on PUP, NFI lists, and when they are ready they will come off. Other players that aren't on those, it doesn't mean they are at full availability, it means they are not on those lists for one reason or another and we'll do certain things with them based on their physical availability. That is the way it always is this time of year.
"There are a lot of guys in different stages from postseasons surgeries, offseason injuries and so forth. We will just have to see where everybody is. The first couple days of practice are not padded. Padded practices start on Saturday, so we're in a couple of different stages of training camp here. We'll just have to see how all that goes, but I wouldn't say it isn't any different than what it normally is with call it 10-15 players that fall somewhere in that overall net of conversation."
Nonetheless, it doesn't seem likely Mitchell is part of the Patriots' plans this season at the wide receiver position and it should be added he has little value on the trade market given his health.
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