Julian Edelman is back after serving a four-game suspension and will hope the New England Patriots offense immensely once he is back to full form.
Tom Brady has one of his top weapons back this week when the New England Patriots take on the Indianapolis Colts in a Thursday night showdown.
With the offense mostly struggling through the early part of the season, Julian Edelman’s return couldn’t come at a better time. Adding him to a mix of playmakers that include Rob Gronkowski, Chris Hogan, James White and Josh Gordon should make Brady and the offense a viable force in the NFL.
It will take some time however. Edelman is not only coming off a four-game suspension, he is coming off a season-ending ACL tear which caused him to miss the entire 2017 NFL season. As good as No. 11 is, physical strength, timing and conditioning will be vital in getting him back to the player who we last saw catch passes in Super Bowl LI.
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In that game, Julian Edelman not only helped fuel the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, he had one of the most amazing catches. It symbolized both his tenacity and concentration as a football player. Those are two of the attributes that make Edelman’s return a valuable one for the Patriots’ offense.
His quarterback and good friend Tom Brady is certainly happy to see him back.
"“I know he was itching to go and he wants to get down there and show everyone that he’s ready to go,” Brady said, via Boston.com. “He’s in that James White mode where he’s just so dependable and consistent and tough. He hasn’t been out there in a while. The ACL last year was a tough injury, to miss all season and to miss these first four weeks, I know he’s itching to get back out there.”"
New England Patriots fans are also itching to see how Edelman looks after missing the last 20 regular season games. It is obvious he will have an impact, but here are three ways he will impact the offense.
Chris Hogan will have more of an impact
One of the players slotted to fill the void left by Julian Edelman was Chris Hogan.
Last season, the New England Patriots had the luxury of using Danny Amendola in the slot. This season, however, the team hasn’t been so lucky. Hogan simply isn’t a slot type of player so Tom Brady has been missing that consistent outlet to go to.
With Edelman back and controlling the middle part of the field, Hogan will be able to slide back into his natural position as a No. 2 or even No. 3 option at receiver once Josh Gordon gets more into the mix.
That is where Chris Hogan excels. It is now proven that he is not much of a threat when he is the No. 1 receiving option. He doesn’t have the same quickness Edelman has to create separation in tight spots.
This should also have a trickle-down impact on players like Phillip Dorsett and Cordarelle Patterson. With opposing defenses focused on Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman and eventually Josh Gordon, there will be plays for those two to make as well.
If nothing more, the energy he brings to the game will inspire all the team’s offense playmakers.
"“It was good to see him,” Dorsett told reporters on Tuesday. “I’m glad he’s here. He brings the [energy] in our room. It’s going to help us a lot.”"
More freedom for Rob Gronkowski
Although Rob Gronkowski is dealing with an ankle injury and may not be on the field Thursday night, Julian Edelman’s return impacts his production greatly.
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Without Edelman and another viable offensive threat, opposing defenses have been able to double and triple team Gronkowski. They have done so by forcing Tom Brady to rely on other targets and things didn’t go so well in Week 2 and Week 3.
With Josh Gordon on the field last Sunday, the offense did flow a little better. Most of that was due to an effective running game that gave the offense short third-down yardage situations.
Now with Edelman back, Gronkowski should find himself with more opportunities to make plays in the middle of the field and also down the field.
In all, it will just be nice to see these two weapons fully healthy and on the field together. That is something New England Patriots fans haven’t seen since Nov. 27, 2016. Gronkowski missed the last half of that season due to back surgery and of course Edelman missed all of last season due to the ACL tear.
Gives Tom Brady another dependable weapon
A healthy Julian Edelman back in the mix will help the team’s third-down proficiency. Prior to the Week 4 matchup against the Miami Dolphins, the Patriots’ offense had a tough time staying on the field.
Going back to that Detroit game, Tom Brady’s bunch had a tough time putting any kind of drive together and that is attributed to lack of execution and also a lack of dependable players on the field.
Yes, Brady needs to work in the other playmakers on the field but having another dependable player on the field will at least help him incorporate those other playmakers into the game plan.
Overall, the 42-year-old quarterback is happy to have one of his top, trusted targets back.
"“Having really good, dependable players out there is what matters, and I think with those guys – I’ve played with a lot, so that helps because there’s experience, and we can rely on certain things that we’ve done in the past,” Brady said, via ESPN. “You can make decisions in the heat of the moment that end up being the right decisions because they’ve happened in the past.”"
The New England Patriots may not have both Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman on the field Thursday night, but it bodes well for the rest of the season having both players available.
Add Josh Gordon to that mix and Tom Brady should have a trio of weapons that could compete with any in the league.