Malcolm in the huddle
Taped-up Mitchell joins team
FOXBORO — Patriots wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell was in uniform with his teammates yesterday for the first time since Super Bowl LI.
Mitchell missed the Pats’ run of organized team activities and minicamp for undisclosed injury reasons, but he was a full participant for the training camp opener. He didn’t get a ton of action with Tom Brady’s group of starters, but Mitchell did catch a team-best four passes from Jimmy Garoppolo.
“I have a lot to improve on, so I’m just trying to do that,” Mitchell said. “I’ve got a lot to work on, that’s for sure.”
Mitchell had some extra tape on his left knee for practice, so it’s surely conceivable his offseason inactivity was the result of an ailment that nagged him during his rookie season. Despite the issue that delayed his postseason debut by a week, Mitchell caught six passes for 70 yards and was an important element in the Super Bowl comeback against the Falcons. It was undoubtedly a terrific way to cap a rookie season in which he hauled in 32 balls for 401 yards and four touchdowns.
The injuries were the greatest setback for the impressive fourth-round pick out of Georgia, so it wasn’t ideal to see him sidelined during the offseason workout program.
Regardless, Mitchell was back at it yesterday and looked no worse for wear. On a related note, Mitchell is also trying to ditch the elbow brace that he wore throughout the 2016 season, which stemmed from a nasty dislocation in the preseason opener. He wore the brace to practice but decided early in the workout to leave it on the sideline.
“We’ll see how it feels moving forward,” Mitchell said.
And finally, to stick with the theme of Mitchell’s day, a member of the training staff had to stretch out both of Mitchell’s legs on the sideline late in practice. He returned to the field after that.
Mitchell needed an occasional day off last year during training camp, too. The injury concerns, particularly with the thrice-repaired knee, were the reason such a talented product slipped to the middle rounds of the 2016 draft, so this might follow him for a while.
But yesterday, he declared himself ready for camp.
“I’m good to go, just moving forward,” Mitchell said.
Friendly fire
Wide receiver Julian Edelman couldn’t hang onto a pass, and defensive back Damarius Travis inadvertently contacted him with his head down.
Travis proactively made sure Edelman recognized there was no malice involved in the hit, not that Edelman appeared concerned.
“The vibe is always good in the beginning,” the typically fiery Edelman said. “You want to see the vibe after Day 12 of training camp. That’s the vibe you want to see, but everyone is excited to be back. It’s good to come and get to go out and practice in front of the fans, see these guys get all riled up. It brings an energy to practice so that’s always nice, so I guess it’s a good vibe right now.”
In a corner
Cornerback Stephon Gilmore had a solid day on the perimeter, typically on the right side against a variety of assignments.
Even though Gilmore didn’t win much during his five seasons with the Bills, he got used to taking on some strong competition from their wide receivers like Sammy Watkins and
Robert Woods. Gilmore was asked how Buffalo’s receivers physically compare to Patriots wideouts such as
Brandin Cooks and Edelman. “They’re different receivers,” Gilmore said. “You’ve just got to alter your game depending on who you’re going against. You say they’re fast guys, but they’re different receivers, good receivers.”
Crowd favorite
Running back James White was greeted like a Super Bowl hero. He typically flew under the radar in past training camps, but the 15,349 fans let him hear it each time he touched the ball yesterday. That’ll happen, though, considering he had the best game of his career and set a Super Bowl record with 14 catches to go along with 139 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns, including the winning points in overtime.
“This is what you dream about right here — training camp, getting ready for a new season, a new start,” White said. “I’m excited to fly around, get around my teammates again and have some fun out here.” . . .
The Patriots signed receiver Tony Washington, a fourth-year player who appeared in six games with the Jaguars over the past two seasons, to fill the 90th and final spot on their roster.