Tom Brady Psyched To Have Julian Edelman Back In Patriots’ Offense

FOXBORO, Mass. — Tom Brady’s favorite target officially returned to work Monday.

“He hasn’t changed a bit,” Brady said during his Monday afternoon news conference. “Four weeks off, he looks good.”

The quarterback was referring, of course, to New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, who was suspended for the first four weeks of the season after failing a performance-enhancing drug test during the offseason.

Edelman also missed the entire 2017 campaign with a torn ACL, meaning the 32-year-old has not played in a non-preseason game since Super Bowl LI. Despite this long layoff, Brady said he knows exactly what to expect from his longtime teammate.

“I think we’ve played so much football together,” Brady said. “I really have no doubt where he’s going to be at, what he’s capable of. He’s been a great player for our team. I think everyone’s excited to have him back, and anytime you add great players, it’s going to help what we’re doing. We all welcome him back, and he’s excited, ready to go, and hopefully he can go out and play great. Hopefully, we can all go play great. We’re going to need it.”

Brady struggled to connect with his wide receivers during Edelman’s absence, resulting in some very un-Brady-like passing numbers. Through four games, the reigning NFL MVP ranks outside the top 20 in completion percentage (64.4 percent; 21st among QBs), passing yards per game (230; 24th) and yards per attempt (6.8; tied for 27th) and 16th in passer rating (94.0).

Edelman possesses a rare ability to quickly find openings in the defense, something Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett and Cordarrelle Patterson have been unable to do on a consistent basis this season.

“When he’s out there, I obviously just know his body language, I know his ability to get open, my confidence in him,” Brady said. “All those things come up. So when you get matchups and he’s open, he gets it. He gets open so quick. I think that’s the thing about Julian — his explosiveness in the routes, in and out of breaks. It’s very comforting for a quarterback to see a guy get open really early in a route.”

Edelman rejoins a Patriots receiving corps that recently added former All-Pro Josh Gordon, who impressed Sunday against the Miami Dolphins in his New England debut. Both are expected to play Thursday night against the Indianapolis Colts.

“Julian, we ask a lot of him,” Brady said. “He plays a lot of different spots. I think he’s capable of moving in and out of different locations, and it’s kind of specialty-type plays. There’s a lot that he does well, and hopefully it’s a smooth transition. We’ve got to prepare this week. It’s going to be a big week of prep, and then we’ll go out there and play Thursday night and see where we’re at.”