What an offseason it has been for Julian Edelman and the New England Patriots. Edelman walked away with his third Super Bowl ring in 2018 and won his first Super Bowl MVP trophy.
The veteran wideout was able to catch 10 passes for 141 yards against the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl. Those numbers were good enough to help the Patriots win, 13-3.
For years, Julian Edelman has been Tom Brady's favorite target in the Patriots' offense. From a quarterback at Kent State to a top receiving threat for the Patriots, Edelman's career arc is straight out of a movie.
This offseason, people began discussing whether the Patriots' receiver is worthy of the Hall of Fame. That discussion can be had on another day, but it goes to show how crucial he has been to New England's recent success.
Coming into 2019, Julian Edelman will be Brady's most reliable target once again, but there are new faces in the receiver corps. What type of numbers will Edelman produce in his 11th season in the NFL? Here are three numbers to target for Julian Edelman in 2019.
3. 85 Receptions
Even at 33 years old, Edelman will be Brady's go-to guy in crucial situations in 2019. On third downs, Brady always tends to look in Edelman's direction with plenty of success.
To begin the 2018 season, Edelman sat out the first four games due to violating the NFL's league substance policy. When he returned to the lineup, he was a vital part of the Patriots' passing attack.
New England's offense is built around throwing short passes to set up deep passes at certain moments. One of the recipients of the short, intermediate routes is Edelman.
Josh McDaniels always finds a way to get Edelman the ball; that won't be different this season. In his 11th season, Edelman can still bring in nearly 90 receptions for New England.
2. 5 Touchdowns
The Patriots brought in a few new receivers this offseason, which could cut into Edelman's numbers in 2019. His receptions should be fine — he is a reliable target, but teams are going to focus on him in the red zone.
In this year's draft, the Patriots drafted N'Keal Harry with the 32nd pick. Harry figures to play a large role in the offense. To go along with Harry, New England added Demaryius Thomas and Dontrelle Inman in free agency.
Teams are likely to make Edelman a focus when the Patriots are in scoring situations. This will give the other receivers more opportunities to find the end zone.
Over Edelman's career, touchdowns have never been easy to come by; the veteran receiver has totaled 30 touchdowns in 10 seasons in the NFL. His career-high mark in receiving touchdowns is seven. Therefore, five touchdowns is a realistic amount of touchdowns to expect from Edelman in 2019.
1. 900 Receiving Yards
Despite being the main beneficiary in the Patriots' offense, Edelman has never gotten a ton of receiving yards in any season. There have been only two seasons in the receiver's career that he has eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards.
The last time Edelman had over 1,000 yards receiving was 2016. Since then, Edelman missed the entire 2017 season due to injury and missed a few games in 2018 due to suspension.
It's hard to believe that Edelman can surpass 1,000 receiving yards in his 11th season with all of the new additions to New England's aerial attack. He will see a lot of targets but is rarely in a position to make big plays downfield.
In 10 seasons in the NFL, Edelman averages just 10.8 yards per reception. Previously, I said Edelman would have 85 receptions and if he averaged around 10.8 yards per catch; that would put him around 918 yards.
Despite winning the Super Bowl MVP trophy, Edelman may take a step back in the Patriots' offense due to all of the shiny new toys on the offense. In the playoffs, though, he will likely step up in a gigantic way as usual.
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