FOXBORO, Mass. — If Jimmy Garoppolo is not healthy enough to play Thursday night and the New England Patriots decide not to sign an additional quarterback, wide receiver Julian Edelman more than likely would be the next man up should anything happen to rookie Jacoby Brissett.
We say “more than likely” because neither Edelman nor Patriots coach Bill Belichick have confirmed that the wideout is the team’s emergency quarterback.
In fact, Belichick wouldn’t even say whether Edelman, a former college QB at Kent State, has the ability to play the position at the NFL level.
“I don’t know,” Belichick said in his Tuesday news conference. “He hasn’t played it in this league. He played it in college.”
Belichick offered the same response (“I don’t know”) when asked if the Patriots would give Edelman reps under center in practice Tuesday.
Asked point-blank whether Edelman is the Patriots’ fallback plan at quarterback while both Garoppolo (shoulder injury) and Tom Brady (suspension) are out, Belichick reiterated a line he uttered about a dozen times during his morning presser.
“We’ll do what’s best for the football team,” the coach said.
Edelman has attempted one pass in his NFL career: the famed “double pass” touchdown to Danny Amendola during New England’s 2014 divisional-round win over the Baltimore Ravens.
The Patriots host the Houston Texans on Thursday night at Gillette Stadium.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
