New England Patriots have talent at wide receiver despite big loss

New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman suffered a torn ACL in their third preseason game against the Detroit Lions. His 2017 season is over before it begins. Now who will be Tom Brady’s next top receiver?

In the third preseason game against the Detroit Lions, the New England Patriots lost wide receiver Julian Edelman for the rest of the season. Now, Tom Brady will have to find a new favorite target at wide receiver. Rob Gronkowski doesn’t count here because he is not a wide receiver. Of course, Brady will be targeting him many times throughout the season, but he is a tight end. This is based on who will be the top wide receiver in Edelman’s absence.

Many may think that it could be Danny Amendola. He has been a key contributor to New England over the last four seasons. Even as the third or fourth guy on the team, he has averaged over 10 yards/catch in three of his four seasons.

Chris Hogan also made a name for himself in 2016. He caught 38 passes for 680 yards and four touchdowns. He was also the No.2 receiver for the Patriots behind Edelman, so with Edelman gone, he also will see more passes thrown his way.

There’s also the newest addition to the Patriots in Brandin Cooks. New England acquired him from the New Orleans Saints in the offseason. Him and Brady appear to have developed a fast relationship during their time together.

So far, they have connected well on passes in practice. However, they have barely played together in the preseason, so there’s no telling how they will fare during the regular season.

Speculation before the season is that Amendola can have a much larger role for Brady in 2017. He has been around the Patriots longer and has more experience with Brady. Only time will tell, however.

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No matter who their top receiver is, New England is led by one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history with a favorable schedule. They could still go 16-0 in 2017.