Patriots' Mitchell back at practice following elbow injury

Malcolm Mitchell was back in full pads at New England Patriots practice Monday, just four days after suffering a gruesome elbow injury in the club's preseason opener.

Initial reports were that a dislocation had the rookie wideout slated for a four-week absence, and perhaps that timeline isn't far off in regard to game action.

But the quick return to practice, albeit in a large elbow brace, suggests that he's already well on the road to recovery.

Prior to the injury, all indications from training camp had been that Mitchell was doing well to carve out a role for himself in the New England offense.

Not missing much practice time should give him the opportunity to continue on that path and challenge for some significant snaps heading into the regular season.

The Georgia product hauled in a team-high four receptions for 55 yards on five targets in New England's 34-22 win over the New Orleans Saints to kick off the exhibition slate last week.