Patriots officially remove Julian Edelman from their PUP list

Earlier today, the New England Patriots returned to the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium to hold their first practice since their preseason victory over the Tennessee Titans. It was a successful session for the reigning world champions, at least when it comes to participation: after all, four of the team’s offensive skill position players returned to practice — a group that included the MVP of Super Bowl 53, Julian Edelman.

The veteran wide receiver originally opened training camp on the non-football injury list after reportedly hurting his finger earlier during the offseason. Seeing him back at practice and in full pads meant one particular thing, though, that was later confirmed by the NFL’s transactions wire: Edelman had passed his physical and was officially removed off the reserve list, meaning that he is now able to participate in practice again.

This is obviously good news for both the veteran wideout and the Patriots. After all, the club’s skill position group saw multiple players go down with injuries recently — N’Keal Harry, Maurice Harris, Phillip Dorsett, and Matt LaCosse all suffered injuries over the last two weeks leading to them missing at least some time during practice and/or preseason. They all were back on the practice fields today, of course, but Edelman’s return is still different.

The 33-year-old is not just the most experienced pass catcher on the Patriots’ roster, after all, but he also enjoys the trust of quarterback Tom Brady like no other player on the team. Adding him to the mix just a couple of days after Josh Gordon was reinstated is therefore big for Brady and New England’s aerial attack as a whole. The club’s 2019 offense is slowly starting to take shape, with Edelman a key piece.