As a general offseason rule, no one should ever worry about the Patriots. No matter which players the team ships off—Bill Belichick’s knack for unloading guys a year before they decline is infamous—or how much turnover the roster sees, New England seems to have a perennial standing date for the AFC championship game in Foxborough. Don’t overthink it. These are the Patriots. That logic still holds true Thursday, as Adam Schefter and Field Yates reported that Patriots receiver Julian Edelman is facing a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing substance policy. Edelman is appealing the ruling, though ESPN reports that such appeals are “difficult” to win. The 32-year old wideout missed the entire 2017 season due to an ACL tear, but is penciled in to return as the team’s no. 1 option on the outside in 2018. In his last season of action, Edelman accounted for 1,106 yards and three touchdowns. His role is especially crucial given the offseason departures of Brandin Cooks (traded) and Danny Amendola (free agency). Those two together accounted for 1,741 receiving yards in 2017, which was 73 percent of the yards that went to Patriots receivers. For the first four games of the season, the team could now be looking at Chris Hogan to be the team’s no. 1 wideout. The no. 2 wideout during that stretch will be … [squints at depth chart] ... uh … Jordan Matthews? This projects to be one of the thinnest pure receiver corps in the league for the first four weeks, but again: These are the Patriots. New England is built to rely on its wideouts as little as possible. The Patriots’ actual no. 1 pass catcher during that stretch won’t be Hogan or Matthews, and it probably wouldn’t even be Edelman if he were playing. Though not a wideout, Rob Gronkowski is one of the 10 best pass catchers in football when healthy, and he was essential to the team’s offensive success last season. He led the squad in receiving yards (1,084) and touchdowns (8) and reported for OTAs this week despite cryptically hinting at retirement for much of the offseason. He’s Brady’s go-to guy on the field. (By the way, I’ve argued that Rob Gronkowski is disproportionately important in fantasy football before. He might be even more valuable this year. If you think he’ll play a full season, you can’t draft him too early.) New England also deploys its running backs in the passing game with great effectiveness, with James White, Rex Burkhead, and Dion Lewis combining for 897 receiving yards last year. Lewis left this offseason, but rookie Sony Michel has the skill set to catch passes, too, with 64 catches and 621 yards through the air in his Georgia career. The team’s first four games are against the Texans, Jaguars, Lions, and Dolphins. That’s a relatively tough lineup, and Edelman will certainly be missed during that game in Jacksonville. When he went down last offseason, the Pats still had Gronk, their running backs, Cooks, Amendola, and Hogan to rely on. That group of pass catchers is facing a downgrade this season with or without Edelman, and it’ll be fascinating to see how the offense will adjust. But as long as Gronkowski is upright, Tom Brady is under center, and Belichick is on the sideline, it will always be too early to hit the panic button.<doc-sep>Getty Images The Patriots had Tom Brady back on the field today, but they could be without one of his favorite targets for the first month of the season. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Patriots wide receiver is facing a four-game suspension, for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. Edelman is appealing the suspension, so there’s no official comment from the league yet. He missed all of last season with a torn ACL, and now the Patriots will have to rely on a new crop of targets if the suspension stands. They also let Danny Amendola leave in free agency, though they have brought in Jordan Matthews and Cordarrelle Patterson this offseason.<doc-sep>
Elise Amendola/Associated Press New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman is reportedly facing a four-game NFL suspension for a violation of the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. Adam Schefter and Field Yates of ESPN reported the news Friday and noted the ban is in the appeal process. Edelman missed the entire 2017 season after suffering a torn ACL during the preseason. The 32-year-old Kent State product said Tuesday his rehab has been "good" and said the recovery is "one of those things where each step you take, you're prepared for that step." "Any time you get to go out and see the fellas, play with them, talk with them, be in the huddle and look at guys, and participate in drills, that's what you play the game for ultimately," he told reporters. "It was tough to watch it on the sidelines last year. To come out here and do little things, strap on the helmet, it put some perspective on how lucky you are to get to play the game." Edelman made 98 catches for 1,106 yards and three touchdowns while playing all 16 games in 2016. He's tallied 425 receptions for 4,540 yards and 24 scores since the Pats selected the converted quarterback in the seventh round of the 2009 draft. The California native is also one of the New England players to showcase his work with Alex Guerrero, the personal trainer of quarterback Tom Brady. In December, Bob Hohler of the Boston Globe reported Patriots head coach Bill Belichick "stripped Guerrero of his special team privileges," meaning he could no longer travel on the team jet, be on the sideline during games or treat players other than Brady at Gillette Stadium. Video Play Button Videos you might like If the suspension is upheld, Edelman would miss games against the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. He'd be eligible to return for the team's Week 5 clash with the Indianapolis Colts.