For the first time in two months, Julian Edelman was back at Patriots practice Wednesday.
The wide receiver had a procedure on his knee at the end of October, which forced him to go injured reserve, and most recently was removed from the COVID-19/Reserve list.
While Edelman is eligible to play Sunday against the Dolphins, it's unclear if that will happen given how much time he missed.
With that being said, his return to practice gave the team a spark. Here's a sampling of what his teammates had to say on Wednesday.
Damiere Byrd: “It was great to be able to see somebody like him get back on the field. You never want to see a teammate get hurt. So being able to have him back after a number of weeks is exciting. I know he’s worked his tail off to get back on the field better. So I’m excited to see how he progressed.”
Gunner Olszewski: "I think everybody took note of him. I was talking to him just yesterday, I was telling him, 'I hope you're out there.' It gives us a little spark of energy. It's Julian. He sets the tone. He's been set the tone for not on the receiver room, but I think the team, for a long time. Having him out there, I think it brought a little spark back to everybody -- a little pep in your step. JE11's out there. That's what I told him. I said, 'It's awesome having you out there.' "
Joe Thuney: "Jules is a great leader, a lot of energy. So he's just a great guy to have back. And yeah, I'm glad he's back."