There is no question that the Patriots floundering passing game and overall offense could use a boost over the final three games of the 2020 regular season.
One possibility to add life to the unit is wide receiver Julian Edelman, who has been on injured reserve since Halloween due to a knee injury that required minor surgery. Edelman has been eligible to begin practicing and come off IR for more than a month now, but that has not happened.
Asked for an update on his star slot receiver, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick offered up a relatively positive if non-committal answer.
“Yeah, Julian, I’d put him in the day-to-day category,” Belichick said in a Wednesday morning video call with local reporters. “When he’s ready, we’ll start him. If he’s not ready, he’ll keep working and we’ll wait until he’s ready.”
The Patriots will practice indoors on Wednesday in Foxborough in preparation for Sunday’s trip to Miami to take on the Dolphins.
At the time of the surgery, Belichick expressed optimism that the 34-year-old Edelman would not only return this season but that he would do so with a healthier outlook.
“I mean I don’t think is a season-ending situation,” Belichick said back on Oct. 30 of Edelman’s bad knee. “Hopefully he’ll have a good recovery and be back better than where he was before the surgery. That’s the whole point of doing the surgery is that the situation will improve. So hopefully it will improve.”
Edelman caught 21 passes for 315 yards in six games (one start) early this season before the knee injury sidelined him.
Time is obviously running short for Edelman to get back on the practice field and subsequently the game field with just three weeks left in the regular season.
