It took Bryant five months to get clearance to merely run and cut. If it takes five months for Edelman and his left foot to be cleared, that would put his timeline to begin doing the same things in mid-September.Obviously, everyone heals at different rates and one must allow for differences between the procedures the two players had done. And sources have expressed confidence that Edelman will be ready for training camp.
Source: Dez Bryant recovery timeline may not bode well for Julian Edelman
It’s pretty amazing how fast a player goes from a JAG to indispensable. Not to say Edelman was necessarily just a guy, but in his first four years with the Pats he had just four touchdowns and 69 catches. In the Pats 2011 AFC Championship season he had just four catches, and that was his third year in the league, a time when you’d think a receiver of Edelman’s current status would’ve been starting to hit his stride.
Now you read a report like the one above and you wonder what the Patriots would possibly do if Edelman misses extended time once again this season. The numbers for the Patriots’ offense without Edelman were ugly, especially on third down where their conversion rate dropped almost 20 percent.
Updated after today:
Patriots on third down before Edelman injury: 54-107 (50%)
Patriots on third down after Edelman injury: 34-108 (31%)— Ryan Hannable (@RyanHannable) January 4, 2016
Now at this point it still sounds like everyone’s expecting Edelman to be ready to go for training camp, but this speaks to a couple larger points.
First, the Pats must continue to develop wide receivers of all kinds. Everyone talks about needing the proverbial deep threat, but it’s just as important at this point to continue stockpiling “quick open” Z-receiver types as well. Malcolm Mitchell and Devin Lucien will be guys to watch this summer, as will Chris Hogan.
Second, the Z-receiver spot in the Pats’ offense isn’t exactly plug-and-play but it’s pretty close. It may take a bit for a receiver to totally earn Brady’s trust, but once they do, they’re going to see plenty of targets.
So I’d preach patience this summer with the likes of Mitchell and Lucien, as well as Chris Harper, DeAndre Carter and Keshawn Martin. They might need to heavily rely on those guys sooner than we think.
