WR Edelman back from suspension for New England
The New England Patriots got their sparkplug back Monday. Hours after a 38-7 thrashing of the previously undefeated Miami Dolphins, Julian Edelman returned from his four-game suspension for performance enhancers, reportedly showing up in the locker room for the first time in a month before 7 a.m.
“It’s good. He hasn’t changed a bit,” Tom Brady said later in the day. “Four weeks off, he looks good.”
The Patriots host the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday. Edelman was not available to reporters Monday and a club spokesman said the slot receiver will talk “Thursday at the earliest.”
There is no guarantee Edelman, who missed all last season after suffering a torn ACL in a non-contact injury in August 2017 in a preseason game, will play Thursday. But don’t bet against it.
Edelman is third on the NFL’s all-time postseason receptions list with 98, leading the Patriots in both catches and yardage in the postseason.
“We’ve played so much football together I really have no doubt of where he’s going to be or what he’s capable of,” Brady said. “He’s been a great player for our team and I think everyone’s excited to have him back.”
Jaguars: Jacksonville is preparing to play without running back Leonard Fournette again. Fournette re-injured his right hamstring in a 31-12 victory against the Jets on Sunday, and coach Doug Marrone has no timetable for his return. Marrone said tests show the injury is no worse than it was before returning. Considering Fournette missed two and a half games after initially tweaking it and came back too soon, it makes sense that the Jaguars (3-1) would be even more cautious this time around.
Jacksonville plays at Kansas City on Sunday and almost certainly will be without Fournette. The Jags should be getting used to it by now. The second-year pro has missed five of 20 regularseason games and left his only two starts this season with hamstring tightness.
Bills: A groin injury leaves safety Micah Hyde’s status uncertain for Buffalo’s game against Tennessee this weekend. Coach Sean McDermott listed Hyde as week to week, a day after the starter was hurt in a 22-0 loss at Green Bay.
Rams: OLB Dominique Easley had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee and is expected to be placed on injured reserve. It’s the fourth major knee surgery for Easley since 2011.
Titans: Safety Kenny Vaccaro will miss a few weeks after hurting his right elbow in Tennessee’s overtime win over Philadelphia.
Panthers: Eric Reid isn’t planning on giving up his fight against racial injustice or his battle with the NFL. He just doesn’t know if his protests will include kneeling for the national anthem . Reid, who signed a one-year contract last week, said Monday he is “still considering other ways” to protest and continue to raise awareness.
The former Pro Bowl safety did not elaborate on his plans, but did say he will not drop his grievance against the NFL that alleges teams colluded to keep him out of the league because he protested alongside Colin Kaepernick. “Nothing will ever change unless you talk about it . So we’re going to continue to talk about it,” Reid said of his ongoing fight for racial justice with his friend Kaepernick, who remains unsigned. “We’re going to continue to hold America to the standards that it says on paper — that we’re all created equal. Because it’s not that way right now. But we’re going to keep pushing toward that.”