FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots placed safety Mel Mitchell on the reserve/injured list today with a biceps injury. Mitchell played in 10 regular-season games and one playoff game for New England this season and totaled 11 special teams tackles.
Mitchell, 28, was signed by the Patriots as an unrestricted free agent from the New Orleans Saints on April 4, 2006. The 6-foot-1-inch, 225-pound safety has played in 54 career games for the Saints (2002-05) and Patriots (2006-07). He has been featured primarily on special teams, totaling 75 career special teams tackles in his 54 NFL games. In 2006, Mitchell was placed on the reserve/injured list with an arm injury (8/7/06) and missed the entire season.
The Wetern Kentucky product was originally drafted by the Saints in the fifth round (150th overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft. As a rookie, Mitchell appeared in every game for New Orleans and finished second on the team with 25 special teams tackles. He missed the 2003 season due to injury, but returned in 2004 to play in 15 games while leading the Saints with a career-high 29 special teams tackles. In 2005, his final season in New Orleans, Mitchell played in 13 games and recorded 10 special teams tackles.
