Julian Edelman has been the leader, mainstay and most productive force in the Patriots wide receiver room for years.
Unfortunately, New England got a taste of life without Edelman when he missed the final 10 games of last season to a knee injury that forced the former Super Bowl MVP to announce his retirement this offseason.
Now, Patriots wide receivers coach Mick Lombardi and his positional troops will have to move on without the guy who not only put up 100-catch seasons, but really was a standard0-bearer in so many ways in New England.
“A guy like Julian whose mental toughness obviously is unmatched — guys who have been in the receiver room here, he’s definitely the poster child for what this place is and what it’s about in terms of work ethic, mental toughness, putting the team first,” Lombardi said during a Thursday Zoom with local reporters. “His presence won’t only be missed in the receiver room but in this building on every single day. He really is — he defines the Patriot Way. I think any guy that’s been around him, any guy that has played with him has benefitted from being with him. I think that’s hard to replace, and guys who are coming in who were able to see what he did like Jakobi [Meyers] are able to kind of do things that not only he would do but to do what I would say he instilled in them in terms of work ethic and mental toughness aspect. It’s definitely hard to replace a guy like Julian Edelman, because he just was a special person and a special player.”
As Lombardi alluded to, the third-year receiver Meyers is one guy in particular who might be expected to continue to evolve in the New England offense after leading the Patriots with 59 catches for 729 yards last fall.
“I think Jakobi’s growth as a player has been great. His growth as a person has been even better,” Lombardi said. “He's definitely seen what it takes, and he's been productive on the field. I think he's trying to take that step of doing everything he can for his body, his mind and seeing how it pays off on Sunday. I think that growth is something that he continues to work on. He takes great pride in that and he sees what it takes. He was able to learn from Julian his first couple years here. He’s started to become that guy that not only can produce but become more of a leader on and off the field. I think that's an area he's looking to grow and I think we're excited to see him do that.”
The team also brought in veterans Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne in free agency this spring.
“Those guys have come in here and have accepted the role of being a pro,” Lombardi said of the free agent additions. “They’ve worked extremely hard. They’ve dedicated time both here and the weight room. And then off the field in terms of studying and learning a new playbook like any new players tries to be.”
Regardless of who steps up at the wide receiver position in New England this summer and fall – disappointing third-year former first-round pick N’Keal Harry is another potential option – there is no question that Edelman is going to be greatly missed.
According to Lombardi, that’s not just on the field but on literally a daily basis throughout the organization.
