In predictable fashion, the NFL used the day before the Fourth of July holiday to announce a number of suspensions. One of the final bits of news to trickle down on this day before the holiday is that the NFL has officially upheld the four-game suspension of Patriots receiver Julian Edelman.
Patriots’ WR Julian Edelman’s appeal was denied today, per source. His four-game suspension stands.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 3, 2018
It took over a week for the NFL to decide Edelman’s fate giving some hope to Patriots fans. Especially considering that the league still does not know what Edelman tested positive for. However, that apparently didn’t sway the league when Edelman made his appeal last week.
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Edelman missed the entire 2017 season due to a torn ACL suffered in the preseason. However, in 2016, Edelman had a career-high 1,106 yards receiving on 98 receptions as the Patriots captured their fifth Super Bowl title by season’s end. The Patriots returned to the Super Bowl last season but fell short against the Eagles.
Now, given the fact that Edelman is coming off the injury (not to mention he will be 32), missing an additional four games could help his recovery. The Patriots are not short on wide receivers, despite losing Brandin Cooks and Danny Amendola in the offseason. In the end, this could be a blessing in disguise as Edelman will have a chance to recover a few extra weeks. In addition, this could give the Patriots an extra look at a guy like Braxton Berrios who enters training camp on the roster bubble.
With the suspension upheld, Edelman is set to miss the season opener at home against the Texans. He will then miss back-to-back road games against the Jaguars and the Lions with the final game of the suspension being a road tilt against the Dolphins.
– Ian Glendon is the Editor-In-Chief of Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @iglen31 Follow @FPC_Patriots and Facebook.
