Julian Edelman Scheduled For MRI, Could Miss New England Patriots Season With ACL Injury

The New England Patriots are bracing for the worse after star wide receiver Julian Edelman went down with what the team fears could be a season-ending ACL injury.

The veteran receiver was injured Friday night during the Patriots’ meaningless 30-28 win over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. The non-contact injury occurred just two minutes into the game.

The veteran receiver is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Saturday, and though the severity of the injury is not yet officially known, coach Bill Belichick already seems to be making contingency plans.

With quarterback Tom Brady’s favorite target sidelined at least for the foreseeable future, Chris Hogan is expected to be bumped to No. 1 receiver, followed by veterans Brandin Cooks and Danny Amendola. Second-year man Malcolm Mitchell is expected to provide still more depth.

“We’ve played together for a long time, and I think there’s great chemistry in what we’re doing,” Brady said to ESPN. “He’s just an incredible player and teammate.”

The defending Super Bowl champion Patriots overcame a similar crisis situation in 2016 when tight end Rob Gronkowski missed a sizable chunk of the year with a back injury.

New England’s fine-tuned, precision offense also features pass-catching running backs James White, Rex Burkhead, Dion Lewis and potentially D.J. Foster.

But even with an arsenal like that, having to replace Edelman won’t be easy as he and Brady have developed an almost unbreakable bond over the last eight seasons.

Since joining the Patriots in 2009, New England has gone 84-19 with Edelman in the lineup and just 15-10 without him. Over the last three seasons (including playoffs), he has a team-leading 436 catches. Over his career, Edelman has caught 397 passes from Brady, third most in team history.

“You never want to see a guy go down, especially a player like Julian, how hard he works,” Gronkowski told ESPN after Friday’s game. “You just hope for the best for him.”

Edelman rebounded to play in every game last season after missing part of the 2015 season with a foot injury.

In recent times, the Patriots have adopted a habit of carefully managing Amendola’s snaps in an effort to keep him healthy. The veteran receiver is widely considered the closest option for Brady to Edelman on the roster.

New England opens the regular season on Sept. 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Patriots face the Atlanta Falcons in a Super Bowl rematch on Oct. 22.

[Featured Image by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]