Even after 12 seasons of football, New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman is experiencing and experimenting with new things.
Edelman has a new practice routine, as he has been given rest days. He was absent from practice on August 25 and he has been limited in other practices. This is out of the ordinary for the wide receiver. Rest days are rare, and as he noted to the media this is the first time he’s ever really done this.
Although he did not specify why exactly he has lightened his practice load, he did note that no preseason games or joint practices have been a grind over the past couple of weeks.
“Honestly, this has been a grind,” Edelman said. “We’ve been having six days of practices — or, usually you’d have 4 days off, or 4 days on, a day off, you break up when you start playing other teams in the preseason. This has been a straight grind the whole time. The teams that take advantage of it, and really use it to the best of their abilities, are going to be the teams that do well with it.”
With the Kent State product being one of the Patriots oldest and crucial parts of the offense, it would make sense for the wideout to rest. With a new quarterback under center, and younger wide receivers around him, he may have to carry the load in a crucial 2020 season.
