Speaking publicly for the first time since a dislocated elbow knocked him out of the New England Patriots’ preseason opener, rookie wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell said the injury was not as severe as it appeared to be.
“When it happened, I obviously felt the damage that was caused, but it wasn’t as painful when I saw it replayed,” Mitchell said Sunday, via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss. “I know for people watching, it probably looked a lot worse than I felt.”
Mitchell returned to practice just days after the injury, but he remains limited, did not play in Thursday’s preseason win over the Chicago Bears and is expected to miss four weeks. The Patriots have two preseason games remaining before they open the regular season Sept. 11 in Arizona against the Cardinals.
“As a competitor, sitting out in general is disappointing, but you can only control what you can control,” Mitchell said. “I had no idea my arm would do that or I wouldn’t have put it down. I had no idea what would come from that play.
“There’s nothing anyone could have done to stop that from happening. It was meant to be.”
Mitchell showed great promise in his preseason debut, catching four passes for 55 yards on just 15 snaps before the injury ended his night.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
