Patriots: Bill Belichick admits Julian Edelman’s role will change in 2020
By Adam Weinrib
No, Julian Edelman will likely not return punts for the Patriots in 2020.
For many years, the New England Patriots have been all about constants.
Tom Brady under center, Bill Belichick on the sidelines, and Julian Edelman serving as a Swiss Army knife, willing to do whatever it took to advance the ball, from punt returns to occasional quarterbacking cameos.
But now, Edelman and Belichick have lost their most important constant, and the head coach in the hoodie can’t afford to lose Edelman, too.
Therefore, the Patriots are being just a bit more careful with the 34-year-old in 2020 than they likely would’ve been in preceding years. Belichick confirmed Wednesday that the team’s WR1 would not be returning punts this season, if all goes well. He’s the insurance policy, not the goal, and that’s just fine.
When pressed, Belichick expanded on his answer.
Here is the full context of Bill Belichick’s remarks on Julian Edelman scaling back his punt-return duties, which came in an answer to a question about evaluating returners in camp without live tackling: pic.twitter.com/yqZ4lO2dqt
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 2, 2020
Yes, the Troy Brown mention makes you think that Gunner Olszewski has done enough to distinguish himself — after all, Brown’s been mentoring him specifically in recent weeks, and he could very well be New England’s Edelman 2.0 moving forward (or Welker 3.0? Brown 4.0?).
Edelman participating on special teams and in trick packages is adorable, and remains a huge part of his legacy, but he’s essential in the wideout corps this season, and the staff cannot take any chances with his increasingly fragile body.
N’Keal Harry has a huge chance to emerge as a legit No. 2 this year, but the veteran experience surrounding him is lacking — heck, Mohamed Sanu might not even make the roster. The Patriots won’t thrive if Edelman is hobbled by injuries and plays through them, as he did last season.
Why not do your best to keep him out of pile-ups, then?
Julian Edelman acknowledged this is the first time in his career that he's received rest days from practice.
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) September 1, 2020
Wouldn't disclose the reason that he's been limited in certain sessions.
Throughout camp, Edelman has been coddled, and we won’t know whether decreasing his reps was worth it until the 16-game slate is complete.
For now, though, he must serve as Cam Newton’s security blanket AND tour guide as the former MVP becomes acclimated to the lifestyle in Foxborough this season.
Rookie tight ends have taken the place of Greg Olsen in Newton’s comfort zone, and it’s up to Edelman to take the mantle — in all 16 games, if at all possible.
It’ll be strange to see his duties become restricted, but we can’t have punt returns cramping Jules’ style in this all-important transition season.
