Julian Edelman traveling to Buffalo; outlook good to play

While New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman is still questionable to play Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, he at least made the trip.

Good news, Patriots fans!

While it doesn’t necessarily guarantee that he will play Sunday afternoon against the Bills, Patriots receiver Julian Edelman is officially traveling with the team to Buffalo, per WEEI’s Andy Hart. Reporters had spotted a duffle bag by Edelman’s locker during Friday’s practice session; such a sight usually bodes well for a player’s chances of making a trip with his team for away games.

Edelman is one of seven New England players announced as being questionable for this weekend’s big matchup between the AFC East’s two remaining undefeated squads. The other Patriots who are dealing with ailments on that list are tight end Matt LaCosse, running back Rex Burkhead, tackle Marshall Newhouse, defensive end Michael Bennett, linebacker Dont’a Hightower, and safety Nate Ebner.

Though the Patriots have gotten off to a hot start in 2019 with a high-powered offense and a suffocating defense, the injury bug has also hit New England hard through the first three weeks of the season. Fullback James Develin, wide receiver N’Keal Harry, and tackle Isaiah Wynn are among 12 different players listed as being on reserve of some kind due to injury or otherwise.

New England does have other options offensively if Edelman can’t go – an increased role from rookie Jakobi Meyers would definitely be a possibility – the hope around Foxborough, Boston, and the six Northeastern states is that Edelman will be able to grit his teeth and play through the pain at New Era Field tomorrow. He sustained a chest/ribs injury last week that knocked him out of the second half against the New York Jets.

Edelman’s toughness and overall pain tolerance are both legendary. The receiver has suffered numerous injuries throughout his now-11-year career, and “The Squirrel” keeps fighting back to make meaningful contributions to his team nonetheless.

Unquestionably quarterback Tom Brady’s favorite target in this offense, Edelman’s status for the game against the Bills tomorrow bears close monitoring over the next 24 hours or so. Both New England and Buffalo enter the clash a perfect 3-0 on the season.