Julian Edelman Still ‘Shook’ Over This Big Bill Belichick Mistake

Julian Edelman wasn’t afraid to call out his former coach after the Patriots’ second straight blowout loss.

After saying Bill Belichick “needs a little help” when it comes to evaluating offensive skill-position prospects, Edelman voiced his displeasure over New England’s most notable — and, now, regrettable — offseason move.

“I’m still a little shook on the Jakobi Meyers departure,” Edelman said Monday on FOX Sports’ “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.” “I didn’t get that.”

"We have whiffed on a lot of offensive skill position players… I'm still a little shook on the Jakobi Meyers departure."

— @Edelman11 on what's wrong in New England pic.twitter.com/RFCy9bjVvW

— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) October 9, 2023

This past March, the Patriots chose to let Meyers, their top receiver for the past three seasons, walk in free agency and replaced him with JuJu Smith-Schuster. The idea at the time was that Smith-Schuster, the former Pittsburgh Steelers star who was coming off a solid season with the Kansas City Chiefs, would offer more explosiveness and run-after-catch ability than the reliable but limited Meyers.

That has not happened. Smith-Schuster is off to a miserable start in New England with just 14 catches for 86 yards and no touchdowns through five games. Among 68 receivers with at least 20 targets this season, he ranks third-to-last in yards per reception (6.1) and second-to-last in yards per target (3.4). His route-running looks labored and sluggish, and he’s also now dealing with a head injury.

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Meyers, meanwhile, quickly emerged as a valuable weapon for Josh McDaniels’ Las Vegas Raiders. As the No. 2 behind All-Pro Davante Adams, Meyers has 25 catches for 274 yards and three scores despite missing one game and playing another with a backup rookie quarterback.

“He could separate a lot,” said Edelman, who overlapped with Meyers for two seasons in New England. “He could run routes. He was tough in the run game. He would go in and block the force. And that’s what you preach as a New England receiver: get open, catch the ball and block in the run game.

“Those are the three things that you hear all the time. This receiver group (the Patriots) have, it just seems like they’re struggling to create separation. Regardless of the reason, they haven’t been able to separate.”

The stats confirm that, and it isn’t just Smith-Schuster. The Patriots’ receiving corps as a whole entered Week 5 ranked last in the NFL in average separation when targeted (3.1 yards), per NFL Next Gen Stats.

“I’ve been really hard on Mac (Jones),” Edelman said. “I’ve been watching, and it’s tough. A guy’s a little open — that’s still open, but they’re still not giving him right reads. …

“There’s three phases of the route: you win at the beginning of the route, the stem or at the top of the route, and I’m not seeing any of that with the Patriots.”

The Patriots’ offense also has received poor blocking up front and sloppy mechanics and decision-making from Jones, who has six turnovers in the last two games. New England lost both by a combined score of 72-3 to fall to 1-4 on the season.

Next up: a date with Meyers and McDaniels this Sunday in Las Vegas.