I’m sick to my stomach. Not only did I base most of my prediction that the Patriots will win the AFC East on improved health in 2016 in our latest roundtable article, but I jinxed wideout Julian Edelman by having his picture be the featured image of the article.
Edelman apparently slammed his helmet down in frustration before having a trainer take a look at his injured left foot–the same foot that caused him to miss half of the regular season last year and that required offseason surgery in May. Meanwhile, defensive end Rob Ninkovich left practice with what is being reported as a triceps injury. The Boston Herald reported that Ninkovich was shaking his head while walking off the field.
I never like to assume the worst, but I can’t simply brush aside these injuries as nothing, either. So here’s why both injuries could be very bad for the Patriots. I’ll start with Ninkovich. Since he was inserted into the starting lineup in 2010, Ninkovich has been one of Bill Belichick’s most consistent players. He’s started every game for New England since halfway through that 2010 season, and since 2011, he’s had at least 6.5 sacks every year. Despite never making a Pro Bowl, perhaps no one has embodied the Patriots fabled “do your job” sentiment more than Ninkovich.
Yet aside from being one of New England’s most reliable players, losing Ninkovich could especially hurt this year after the Patriots saw three key front seven players depart this offseason. The most notable one, of course, was Chandler Jones, who they traded to Arizona for guard Jonathan Cooper–who also left one of the Patriots’ first practices with an injury–and a draft pick. In addition to Jones, the Patriots also lost defensive tackles Akiem Hicks and Dominique Easley. Simply put, New England was already thin up front to begin this season, even with the addition of defensive end Chris Long. Potentially losing Ninkovich for an extended period of time certainly won’t help matters.
As for Edelman, he is clearly the Patriots second best receiving option after Rob Gronkowski. When he’s on the field, Tom Brady always has a security blanket to go to if he gets in trouble. It’s no coincidence that the Patriots offensive production sharply declined last season after Edelman got injured against the Giants in mid-November.
Moreover, if Edelman were to miss the first four games, this will complicate Jimmy Garoppolo’s transition. As Fronte mentioned in our AFC East roundtable article, Garoppolo will face some tough defenses in Weeks 1-4. It won’t get any easier for the inexperienced third-year pro if he doesn’t have Edelman to throw to.
But here’s the worst part about Edelman’s injury: It’s probably more realistic to assume the worst. In contrast to Ninkovich, who hasn’t had any notable injury concerns in the past, we know this is the same foot that Edelman injured last year. Remember when Tony Romo re-broke his collarbone last Thanksgiving against Carolina? I feel that same way now with Edelman. Just like how a quarterback needs two healthy collarbones in order to throw the ball properly, receivers need all their leg muscles to be strong in order to run and plant effectively. Edelman’s one of the shiftiest guys in the league–if his foot isn’t 100 percent, I don’t know how he returns to normal in 2016. And if he’s not himself, the Patriots offense can’t reach their full potential.
In the overall scheme of things, having Edelman go down is not the same as losing Gronkowski. To draw another analogy, it’s also not as devastating as when the Packers lost Jordy Nelson last preseason, either. However, losing him and Ninkovich this early in August is an early blow to the contending Patriots, and the consequences may be more severe depending on what we hear in the coming days.
