Report: Julian Edelman Expected to Miss Three Weeks With Thumb Injury

Edelman was spotted wearing a brace on his left thumb over the weekend.

New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman is expected to miss three weeks with a left thumb injury, ESPN's Adam Schefter and Field Yates reported on Monday.

According to Schefter and Yates, Edelman was spotted wearing a brace on his left thumb at his youth camp over the weekend. It is uncertain whether he suffered a break of a sprain while catching a pass.

New England opens training camp this week and will now be without Edelman, retired tight end Rob Gronkowski and suspended wide receiver Josh Gordon. Running back Sony Michel and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas will open camp on the physically unable to perform list.

Edelman, 32, led the Patriots in receiving yards (850) in 2018 and finished second on the team with 74 receptions, scoring six touchdowns on the year. The Kent State product caught 26 passes this postseason, including seven passes for 96 yards in New England's AFC Championship win over Kansas City.

Edelman became the seventh wide receiver to win Super Bowl MVP in February after New England defeated the Rams 13-3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Edelman ended the game with 10 receptions for 141 yards. The nine-year veteran signed a two-year, $18 million contract extension in May.

N'Keal Harry, Phillip Dorsett, Braxton Berrios, Maurice Harris and Dontrelle Inman are expected to receive plenty of reps while Edelman recovers this offseason.