New England Patriots: Julian Edelman looks sharp in OTAs

In the first open OTA for the New England Patriots, Julian Edelman looked good despite being limited.

There have been a good amount of storylines for the New England Patriots coming out of OTA’s. Most notably has been the absence of Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. While both are going to be playing in 2018, them not showing up has raised a few eyebrows.

For Gronkowski, him not showing up has likely been all about his contract. After contemplating retirement, Gronkowski clearly wants to get some more money and is hoping to rework his contract similar to what they did last season.

One player that was one the field for the Patriots in OTA’s was wide receiver, Julian Edelman. In the preseason last year, Edelman suffered a torn ACL, which forced him to miss the entire 2017 season. As one of the top weapons for the Patriots, not having Edelman on the field was certainly noticeable at times last season.

However, Edelman appears like he is on a good path toward being ready to play at 100 percent in 2018, as he looked sharp making plays in OTA’s.

When healthy, Edelman is arguably the best slot wide receiver in the NFL, and the Patriots will need him to be ready to step back in and play a big role. This offseason, the Patriots traded away Brandin Cooks and lost Danny Amendola in free agency.

Both Cooks and Amendola were big parts of the offense last season, and they will be missed. However, getting Edelman back should help ease the blow of those two leaving. If Edelman is at 100 percent, he can easily be a 100-catch, 1000-yard receiver for the Patriots.

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With a lot of new faces at wide receiver, Brady might be leaning heavily on Edelman to start the season. Hopefully, Edelman will continue to progress in his rehab and be ready to play in the summer.