Tom Brady and the Patriots are built to handle Julian Edelman’s torn ACL

Julian Edelman’s torn ACL takes away what has been a major component in Tom Brady’s offensive attack. Since 2001, the Patriots have relied heavily on a rangy slot receiver to act as the star quarterback’s safety blanket. When he’s needed clutch play, there’s always been a shifty, undersized, sure-handed wideout there to move the chains.

The tradition started with Troy Brown, blew up with Wes Welker, and has been in Edelman’s capable hands since 2013, when Welker signed with the Broncos. In those four years as a starter, he’s averaged 89 receptions, 957 yards, and five touchdowns despite appearing in fewer than 14 games per season (on average). He’s led his team in either catches or receiving yards every year but 2015, when he missed seven games due to injury.

The Patriots will have to find a way to win without him in 2017. A torn ACL will force him to miss the entire upcoming season, taking one of Brady’s favorite targets off the table in his age-40 season. A quick look at the numbers shows New England has certainly benefited from the former seventh-round pick’s presence in the lineup.

Those numbers don’t tell as neat a story as it seems. In all, Edelman has missed 27 games between the regular season and playoffs. Eighteen of those games in ESPN’s statistic came before Edelman was a starter — the team went 13-5. Since 2012, the team has gone 4-5 without him, though two of those defeats were Week 17 losses where Bill Belichick played a limited array of starters.

A look at the Patriots depth chart those seasons Edelman missed games as a starter shows a steep dropoff between the productive wideout and the rest of his receiving cohort. In 2014, he missed two games. His role was filled by Danny Amendola and Brian Tyms, two receivers with a combined 282 receiving yards between them that fall. One year later, he’d miss seven games; New England turned to Amendola, Aaron Dobson (698 career receiving yards), Michael Williams (a WR/TE with three career receptions), Keshawn Martin (released by the Patriots, 49ers, and Lions since), and Brandon LaFell.

In 2017, the Patriots have more options to fill Edelman’s starting role than ever before. Belichick and his New England staff have been deliberate in their quest to surround Brady with as much talent as possible as his career winds down. The team traded the 32nd pick of this year’s NFL draft to New Orleans in exchange for playmaking wideout Brandin Cooks. He’ll be option 1a on a suddenly stacked receiving depth chart.

The speedy Cooks has lived up to the expectations placed on him after being the 20th overall pick in the 2014 draft. He’s recorded more than 2,300 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns in his last two seasons with the Saints, and somehow found a way to upgrade from Drew Brees after heading north to Foxborough. He’s more of a deep threat than Edelman was (15 yards per catch last season), but can also fill out a route tree as needed with the Patriots.

Gronkowski is a once-in-a-generation talent at tight end, bringing wide receiver speed and deep-threat ability to the position. However, he still provides an inescapable presence up the seams, covering much of the same ground Edelman would have in 2017. Allen is a more traditional tight end, and Edelman’s absence means even more two-tight end sets than usual for Josh McDaniels’ offense.

Belichick rescued Hogan from Buffalo, and the former college lacrosse player has rewarded his faith by emerging as one of the league’s most dangerous deep threats. His 17.9 yards per catch last fall tied for the NFL lead alongside Washington’s DeSean Jackson. He and Cooks have the athletic chops to keep safeties up on Saturday nights, and their ability to stretch the field will open up plenty of short and intermediate routes for the rest of the team’s receivers.

Mitchell, entering his second season as a pro, has shown considerable growth after coming to New England as a fourth-round draft pick in 2016. He came on strong to end last season and showed he’s capable of handling starting duties as a versatile wideout who can work inside the hashmarks or along the sideline. He had six catches for 70 yards in the biggest game of his career — Super Bowl 51.

Amendola’s tenure in New England has followed a familiar pattern; lackluster and injury-filled regular seasons give way to impressive postseason performances. After an unimpressive 23-catch 2016, he had eight receptions for 78 yards, a touchdown, and an extremely important two-point conversion to help lead New England to an NFL title. The Patriots are 8-2 in the playoffs with Amendola active. He’s capable of putting up a 600-plus yard season, provided he stays healthy.

White showcased his value as a pass-catching tailback with a Super Bowl record 14 receptions last February. Lewis, while a constant injury risk, is an explosive athlete who can give linebackers fits running wheel routes from the backfield. Each is capable of picking up some of the receiving slack.

Edelman’s impending stint on injured reserve opens up a roster spot for one of the team’s many young undrafted wideouts looking for an opportunity to earn their place. Carr was a 2016 first-team All-Big Ten selection who has looked impressive in spurts this preseason.

Lucien knows the team well after spending last season on New England’s practice squad. Hollister was a priority undrafted free agent pickup, though he hasn’t made much of an impact during preseason games. Maye, for whatever it’s worth, is ahead of all three on the team’s unofficial depth chart.

More importantly, Edelman’s injuries healed before the postseason — he hasn’t missed a playoff game since 2012. Not being able to count on him in the biggest games of the year will be painful, but the leveled-up postseason play of receivers like Amendola will help mitigate that loss.

The one intangible New England’s deep receiving rotation can’t be counted on to replace is Edelman’s ability to come through in the clutch. His value has never been exemplified more than when he made an absolute circus sideshow catch to keep the Patriots’ improbable Super Bowl comeback alive last February.

He’s also Brady’s go-to guy in third-and-long situations. Last fall, the All-Pro passer targeted him 38 times on third down in 2016. He targeted Hogan (12), Amendola (10), and Mitchell (10), the next three men on the stat sheet, a total of 32 times per ESPN.

Brady explained his connection with the longest-tenured wideout on the roster Monday morning on WEEI.

”So much of quarterback-receiver relationship is about trust and I see things a certain way and the receivers need to see it the exact same way in order for me to really anticipate where to go with the ball,” Brady said. “He and I just have had that. We’ve worked together since — this is our ninth year on the same team and talking about the same offense. We’re so in sync.”

The future Hall of Famer wouldn’t dismiss the unrivaled depth at the position, however.

”We have to find a different way to do it. I mean obviously with Danny [Amendola], I’ve had that with Danny. Danny has been such a great player for us. Hogs [Chris Hogan], he’s had a great camp. Brandin Cooks has done a great job. Malcolm [Mitchell], when he has been out there, I have a lot of trust in him,” Brady added. “All the backs and tight ends, we’re just going to have to pick up the slack. The production has to come from a different place.”

Clutchness aside, the Patriots’ dedication to stacking its receiving depth chart means Edelman’s absence won’t be a deal-breaker. After losing Rob Ninkovich to retirement, Derek Rivers to a torn ACL, and Kony Ealy to the unemployment line, the Patriots should be much more worried about their pass rush.