Tom Brady excited to welcome back trusted weapon Julian Edelman

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Julian Edelman hasn't played in a meaningful game for the Patriots since Super Bowl LI, where he made one of the most miraculous catches in football history. The following preseason, the now 10-year veteran tore his ACL, knocking him out for the entire year. 

After serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances, Edelman is set to rejoin a Patriots team still finding its rhythm and a quarterback who's excited to get him back. 

"He hasn't changed a bit," Tom Brady said Monday afternoon. "Four weeks off. He looks good.

"We've played so much football together. I really have no doubt where he's going to be and what he's capable of. He's been a great player for our team and I think everyone's excited to have him back. Anytime you add great players, it's going to help what we're doing. We all welcomed him back and he's excited and ready to go. Hopefully he can go out and play great."

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The wide receiver position has been a key issue for the Patriots in the first month of the season. With Phillip Dorsett, Cordarrelle Patterson and Chris Hogan as the top three options, Brady's leading pass catchers have been non-receivers (Rob Gronkowski, James White). But Brady is optimistic Edelman can hit the ground running.

"When he's out there, I obviously know his body language. I know his ability to get open and my confidence in him - all those things come up. When you get matchups and he's open, he gets open so quick. That's the thing about Julian: his explosiveness in the routes, in and out of breaks. It's very comforting for a quarterback to see a guy get open really early in a route. We ask a lot of him. He plays a lot of different spots, I think he's capable of moving in and out of different locations and specialty-type plays. There's a lot he does well, and hopefully it's a smooth transition."

Edelman returning should not only help Brady's comfort level with his weapons, but take pressure off Dorsett, Hogan and newly acquired Josh Gordon. Brady has not had the luxury of having Gronkowski, White and Edelman on the field together since late in the 2016 season. 

"Having really good, dependable players out there is what matters. With those guys, I've played with them a lot so that helps, because there's experience and we can rely on certain things that we've done in the past. (You) can make decisions in the heat of the moment that end up being the right decisions because they've happened in the past. Those guys are all great players, and we need them to be great players."

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