Low on available jersey numbers, the New England Patriots this week assigned Julian Edelman’s old No. 11 to a new owner: practice squad kicker Riley Patterson.
That move prompted a reaction on social media from the retired wide receiver, who — likely in jest — conveyed that he was “devastated.”
The Patriots, though, didn’t have much of a choice. Kickers are required to wear numbers between 1 and 19, and with the NFL opening those up to other position groups this season, most of them have been claimed in New England.
At the time of Patterson’s signing, the only vacant numbers in that span were 11 and 12, the latter of which almost certainly will never be worn by another Patriots player. So, Edelman’s had to go.
No. 11 likely will only be worn on the practice field unless Nick Folk’s nagging knee injury forces Patterson — an undrafted rookie who has yet to kick in a regular-season NFL game — into emergency action.
