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To the surprise of no one, New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman is expected to make his season debut against the Indianapolis Colts, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Patriots’ WR Julian Edelman will make his 2018 season debut tonight vs. the Colts, per league source, marking his return from a four-game suspension and the ACL he tore in August 2017.
Edelman can thank, in part…the Boston Celtics, per @wojespn.https://t.co/agXJPFwA4H
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 4, 2018
Edelman, 32, is set to make his first appearance in an NFL regular-season game since the end of the 2016 season. He missed all of the 2017 campaign after he suffered a torn ACL in preseason. And he’s missed the first four games of this year due to his violation of the league’s performing-enhancing substances policy.
Edelman played all 16 games for just the second time in his career in 2016. He had 98 catches for 1,106 yards — a new career-high — and three touchdowns as Tom Brady’s top receiving option. Prior to his injury, Edelman had at least 92 receptions and 970 receiving yards in three of the last four seasons.
Edelman’s return should provide a nice boost to the Patriots’ wide receiving corps which added Josh Gordon from the Cleveland Browns a couple of weeks ago. Phillip Dorsett, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Chris Hogan had been the team’s top wideouts for the first three weeks, with tight end Rob Gronkowski and running back James White also playing a big part in the passing game.
It remains to be seen how prominently Edelman will be a part of the Patriots’ passing attack on his first game back against the Colts. But with Gronkowski expected to play despite a recent ankle injury as well as the Patriots’ other receiving weapons, Edelman won’t be required to take on a major load on offense.
