New England Patriots rookie wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell made a huge statement in his first preseason game. He was catching passes on the sideline, plucking the ball out of the air, dodging tacklers, and picking up yards.
His breakout game ended as quickly as it started as he suffered a gruesome elbow injury. Don’t watch the below video if you’re squeamish.
Malcolm Mitchell's injury (@MikeReiss @jeffphowe) https://t.co/hSrAqnYlFU
— Andrew Darago (@AWDarago) August 12, 2016
It looked awful and Mitchell went straight to the locker room. Luckily for the Patriots, this might not be that serious, according to ProJo’s Mark Daniels and the Herald’s Jeff Howe.
On Malcolm Mitchell, early indication is that he suffers a dislocated elbow, per source
— Mark Daniels (@MarkDanielsPJ) August 12, 2016
Malcolm Mitchell suffered a dislocated elbow and could be back in four weeks, sources tell me and @kguregian.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) August 12, 2016
A dislocated elbow could take 3-6 weeks to heal, depending on the severity and the surrounding damage. There’s a chance that Mitchell could be back by the first or second week of the regular season. Just like the triceps injury to Rob Ninkovich, it looks like the Patriots have avoided a season-ending injury and will have the player back for the bulk of the season.
I hope Mitchell has a quick recovery. He was a treat to watch on the field.