Over the last week, the New England Patriots decided to part ways with two members of their wide receiver depth chart: on Monday, the team released third-year wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell after an offseason full of speculation about his health. Coming off a year-long stint on injured reserve, the former fourth-round draft pick only recently returned to practice in limited capacity but failed to convince the Patriots to keep him around.
The release did not only create an open spot on New England’s 90-man roster – one that could be filled by cornerback Bashaud Breeland, for example –, it also exposed Mitchell to the NFL’s waiver wire: the 31 non-Patriots teams would have an opportunity to easily pick up the 25-year old, who showed noticeable potential during his 2016 rookie season and played an important role in helping New England win the Super Bowl.