With Julian Edelman Out, the New England Patriots Need Malcolm Mitchell to Step Up

How can the Patriots replace Julian Edelman in 2017?

One day after going down with a right knee injury in a preseason game against the Detroit Lions, tests confirmed New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman suffered a torn ACL and is out for the season.

Albert Breer of CSN New England confirmed the news that was widely speculated after seeing Edelman go down with a non-contact injury.

The Patriots have tremendous depth at the wide receiver position and the return of tight end Rob Gronkowski will help ease some of the pain, but there’s no one player who can truly replace Edelman’s production.

Over the past four seasons, Tom Brady’s favorite target has caught 356 passes for 3,826 yards and 20 touchdowns. He’s also been a reliable punt returner for a team that hasn’t been able to settle on a return specialist the past two seasons.

New England Patriots

In Edelman’s absence, Chris Hogan and the newly acquired Brandin Cooks will replace a lot of his production, Danny Amendola will take his snaps in the slot and either Devin Lucien, Austin Carr or D.J. Foster will take his spot on the roster. However the Patriots need more in order to end this season with another Super Bowl. The final piece to the wide receiver puzzle is none other than Malcolm Mitchell.

Mitchell, a fourth-round pick in 2016, knows exactly what Edelman is going through. While playing at Georgia in 2013, Mitchell tore his ACL in the season opener. Injuries have also impacted Mitchell in the NFL. As a rookie last season, he suffered an arm injury that forced him to miss the final three preseason games. He did end up playing in 16 games, but it took a while for him to get going. In his first eight contests, he caught seven passes (15 targets) for 95 yards and zero touchdowns. In his final eight games, he recorded 32 receptions (44 targets), 381 yards and four scores. His chemistry with Brady was noticeable late in the season, especially in the Super Bowl when Brady consistently looked Mitchell’s way in big-time situations.

Unfortunately for the Patriots, Mitchell and Brady have been unable to build on that chemistry. Mitchell has had knee problems of his own this offseason and has missed a golden opportunity to showcase his skills. He’s only played 15 snaps this preseason, catching two passes for 13 yards from backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

Mitchell will be looking to re-write history this season as the Patriots have not had much success from wide receivers in their second season. Since Brady took over in 2001, the Patriots have drafted 15 wide receivers. Of those picks, only six played more than two seasons with the team. It gets worse over the past seven years. Since 2010, only one of five (Aaron Dobson) has lasted more than two seasons. In that same time period, production among drafted receivers has dropped from 49 receptions, 681 yards and four touchdowns in year one, to three receptions and 38 yards with no touchdowns in year two.

The Patriots need Mitchell to reverse that trend, but there’s no guarantee he even starts the season on the active roster. He’ll certainly make the team, however a spot on the physically unable to perform list isn’t out of the question. With Edelman out for the season, Mitchell needs to get on the field as soon as possible.

Julian Edelman has been one of the most reliable receivers in the NFL over the past few seasons, and it’s shown in more than just the stat sheet. In 2015, Edelman suffered a broken foot in mid-November which ended his regular season. At that point, the Patriots were 9-0. After the injury the team stumbled down the stretch, finishing with a record of 3-4 in the final seven regular season games. In those seven games without Edelman, the Patriots receivers had a combined one 100-yard performance (Amendola).

The consistency Edelman brought to the team is what Mitchell will have to provide this season. Hogan was stellar at times last season, but in eight games, exactly half of the regular season, he gained less than 30 yards through the air. Amendola played in 12 regular season games last year and failed to eclipse 50 receiving yards in a game. Mitchell has to be the one who can consistently compile five-plus catches for at least 50-60 yards per game. He doesn’t have to be an all-pro, he just needs to be consistent and a reliable target for Brady.

Next: Derek Rivers Out for Season: How Patriots Replace Top Pick

Gronkowski is back and the running back trio of Burkhead, Lewis and White figure to catch a ton of passes, but the safety valve at receiver is the final piece to the puzzle on offense. If Mitchell can get back onto the field and build on his second half from last season, the Patriots should finish the season in Minneapolis, Minnesota hoisting their record-tying sixth Lombardi Trophy.