Patriots’ Cam Newton mum on Julian Edelman’s status, cites gag order from unnamed figure

Evidently, New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton is learning from Bill Belichick.

At least when it comes to speaking — or not speaking — to the media.

The loquacious quarterback sounded a bit like his famously taciturn head coach on Tuesday when discussing the injury status of wide receiver Julian Edelman. During a Tuesday appearance on WEEI's “The Greg Hill Show,” Newton revealed that he was under strict orders not to reveal any details about the veteran wideout's knee ailments and timeline to return to action.

Newton implied a directive from Patriots higher-ups to keep any information close to the vest:

“‘I have been summoned not to talk about things I can't control,' Newton said, via WEEI's Ryan Hannable. When asked by whom, Newton responded: ‘Let's just say, if you know, you know.'”

The Patriots have been without Edelman since Week 7 after he underwent a knee procedure. Earlier this week, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Edelman was “a couple of weeks away” from returning to the field, but hopes to be a major contributor to the team's playoff push.

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Edelman was also placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday.

Last month, Belichick was asked about Edelman's prospects to return this season:

I would certainly never count Julian out of anything,” he told WEEI. “It would take a lot for me to count him out.”

After a midseason swoon, the Patriots have bounced back to win four of their past five games. At 6-6, New England is on the fringes of the AFC playoff picture entering Week 14.

The Patriots will play their next two games in SoFi Stadium, first against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 14, then vs. the Los Angeles Rams the following Thursday.