The New England Patriots will be without star wide receiver Julian Edelman for the entire 2017 season. According to Albert Breer of MMQB, it is now confirmed that Edelman did in fact tear his ACL Friday against the Detroit Lions.
Fears confirmed via MRI, Patriots WR Julian Edelman has a complete ACL tear in his right knee, per source.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) August 26, 2017
Reports surfaced late Friday that this was the case, but the Patriots did not receive official confirmation until Saturday.
Edelman injured his knee on a non-contact play early in the first quarter of the preseason game. Normally, plays of this ilk do result in serious injuries. So this is not really a huge surprise.
Edelman, 31, tallied a team-high 98 receptions for 1,106 yards last season for the defending champs. With him now lost for the season, New England will be relying on Brandin Cooks and Chris Hogan to play huge roles in 2017.