- New England Patriots WR Malcolm Mitchell was placed on the Injured Reserve list Thursday. He is potentially eligible to return starting Week 9.
- Mitchell is the second Patriots wide receciver to be relegated to IR this season after Julian Edelman’s preseason injury prematurely ended his 2017 campaign. The second year wide receiver out of Georgia started eight games for the Patriots in 2016, including both the AFC Championship and the Super Bowl, where he caught six of his eight targets.
- The Patriots depth will be tested without Mitchell and Edelman in the mix. Additionally, with Danny Amendola in the concussion protocol, there does not appear to be a logical replacement for the slot receiver role that Edelman had manned and which has been an integral part of the Patriots offense in recent years. Albeit in a very limited sample size, Malcom Mitchell was effective lining up in the slot in 2016 (5 receptions on 6 targets and 1 TD), showing the versatility to line up across the formation.
- New addition Brandin Cooks acquitted himself well in his Pats debut, earning the highest game grade of any Patriots receiver of 75.2. Recent trade acquisition Phillip Dorsett had zero targets on 18 snaps in Week 1 but the Patriots hope he can improve on his lowly 45.2 season grade from 2016. Given the roster shake up it should be expected the team will have to amend their game plans to reflect the current make-up of the roster.
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