Excited to see what the New England Patriots’ offense will look like with Tom Brady, Julian Edelman, Brandin Cooks and Rob Gronkowski all on the field together? Keep waiting.
Brady, Edelman, Cooks and Gronkowski all are expected to sit out Thursday’s preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Gillette Stadium, sources told the Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe on Wednesday.
While fans surely would like to watch that quartet of Patriots stars in action, it’s no real surprise the team is holding them out. All four of those players are roster locks, and keeping them on the sideline in these exhibition games drastically reduces the risk of injury.
They likely won’t be New England’s only big-name inactives, either. Wide receiver Matthew Slater, linebacker Shea McClellin, cornerback Eric Rowe and tight end Matt Lengel all were absent from Wednesday’s joint walkthrough with the Jaguars, and running back Mike Gillislee, tackle Nate Solder, wide receiver Cody Hollister, tight end James O’Shaughnessy and safety David Jones were limited.
Gillislee, at the very least, is expected to be out against the Jags, per Howe’s sources.
The Patriots could be especially thin at receiver, as Malcolm Mitchell and Danny Amendola also are question marks after being limited earlier in training camp.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
