FOXBORO, Mass. — Patriots wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell returned to practice Wednesday, but he won’t play in New England’s regular season finale.
The Patriots didn’t activate Mitchell off injured reserve and onto the 53-man roster by Saturday’s 4 p.m. deadline to get him into Sunday’s game. Wednesday’s return started a 21-day window to activate Mitchell. He still can be activated during the postseason as long as it’s before the Jan. 17 deadline, a league source told NESN.com.
Mitchell suffered a knee injury during the preseason and was placed on injured reserve Sept. 7. He had a history of knee injuries during his college career at Georgia, including a torn ACL.
Mitchell had 32 receptions for 401 yards with four touchdowns last season. He had six catches for 70 yards in the Patriots’ Super Bowl LI win over the Atlanta Falcons.
The Patriots also have Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola, Kenny Britt, Phillip Dorsett and Matthew Slater on their wide receiver depth chart. Hogan is nursing a lingering shoulder injury.
