FOXBORO, Mass — Julian Edelman is back, and his teammates are pretty jazzed about it.
After missing all of last season with an ACL tear suffered during the preseason, followed by a four-game PED suspension to begin this campaign, Edelman saw his first non-preseason action since Super Bowl LI in the New England Patriots’ 38-24 Week 5 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday.
For much of this season, the Patriots have been starving for receiving weapons to help quarterback Tom Brady. So when No. 11 was back on the field at Gillette Stadium, suffice to say Tom Brady was excited about it, even hitting Edelman with a pass on the first offensive play of the game.
“I mean, we wanted to get him involved and he made some great plays,” Brady said. “Just good to have him out there. You know, I’m sure we all want it to be perfect every time we go out, but I was really happy to be out there with him. He’s a great player, and obviously, the more great players you have out there, the better we’re going to move the ball and score points. You know, I’ve been playing with Jules for a long time and really happy to have him out there healthy and having fun.”
Edelman ultimately caught seven passes (second-most on the team) for 57 yards. Beyond the stat line, his mere presence on the offense makes life difficult for opposing defenses. The 32-year-old’s ability to get underneath and cause chaos helps open the field for New England’s deep threats.
Rob Gronkowski is among those who benefit from Edelman’s presence, and the tight end provided a ringing endorsement of his teammate after the game.
“It was great to have Julian back; he’s been bringing the juice since Monday,” Gronkowski said. “It just helps the offense big time, the way he can move underneath the coverages, get open, get yards, get first downs. It was just awesome to have him back.”
In the win, Brady, Gronkowski, Edelman and James White all were on the field together for the first time since November 2016. The flow of the offense hardly made it seem that long, and that chemistry between them was a point of emphasis for Gronkowski.
“You can take us away from each other for 10 years and we’ll come back and be the same,” the tight end said. “We’ll just have to knock off the rust with a couple practices. It just shows that we’ve been together for a long time and we all understand each other. We all understand how we play, which is great to have that comfort level.”
Edelman saw plenty of action in his return, although the volume of his targets and his involvement in the offense very well could see an uptick in coming weeks. While not divulging too much, head coach Bill Belichick admitted the veteran’s role was not “a full one.”
“Yeah, well, it’s good to have him back,” Belichick said. “I think we have a long way to go. We do have a long way to go. He had a role in the offense, certainly not a full one. We’ll see how it goes. We’ll figure it out next week.”
The Patriots now have 10 days before they take on the Kansas City Chiefs at home next Sunday. Even though Edelman isn’t exactly a stranger to Josh McDaniel’s offense or playing with Tom Brady, the extra prep time should allow him to truly get back in the swing of things.
So while the receiver’s return to action ultimately can be chalked up as a success, the consensus amongst the Patriots is that it’s only scratching the surface.
