The New England Patriots are set to begin their official training camp on Thursday after rookies reported on Sunday, but it does not sound like Julian Edelman will be able to do much until well into preseason play.
Edelman hosted his youth football camp over the weekend, and he was spotted with a small brace on his left thumb. ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Field Yates report that the veteran receiver is expected to be sidelined for about three weeks with the injury.
Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman, spotted at his youth camp over the weekend with a small brace over his left thumb (see below photo), is expected to be sidelined about three weeks due to the injury, league sources tell @FieldYates and me. pic.twitter.com/P5KT0hvRmz
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 22, 2019
That gives Edelman more than enough time to be ready for the regular season, so the Patriots are likely just playing it safe. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media said the thumb injury was described to him as “mild trauma.”
Edelman, 33, is expected to be leaned on as heavily as ever this season. The Patriots lost Rob Gronkowski to retirement and chose not to bring back Chris Hogan, so they will be relying predominantly on Edelman and first-round pick N’Keal Harry. Their flashy addition at the position seems unlikely to make the final roster, and it’s unclear when Josh Gordon might have his latest suspension lifted. Edelman’s health will be critical to the Patriots’ success in 2019.
