Who will be asked to do more if Julian Edelman is suspended for the first four games of 2018?

FOXBOROUGH — If Julian Edelman’s suspension sticks, it will force the Patriots’ passing game to get creative to start the 2018 season.

New England will face Houston, Jacksonville, Detroit and Miami over the first four games of the year. If this was 2017, it would be easy for the Patriots to shift the additional burden on the shoulders of Danny Amendola, much like they did last year when Edelman was out for the year with a knee injury. While New England is still flexible enough to be considered a game-plan offense without Amendola, the Patriots will look to a variety of different offensive skill position players to try and take up the slack. Here are five who could see an increased level of responsibility in the Patriots’ passing game if Edelman is down for the first four games.




James White: With the Patriots moving on from Dion Lewis this past offseason, he was already going to see an uptick in touches, but now, that number should spike. The back, who has a history of lining up all over the field, is one of the guys Tom Brady really trusts when it comes to the passing game — expect that level of faith to be rewarded with additional targets if Edelman is sidelined.

Riley McCarron: It was completely coincidental — probably — but we noticed McCarron spending a lot of time with Brady throughout Thursday’s minicamp workout. We profiled him at length here earlier in the offseason, and one of the things that really stood out to us was the fact his skill set basically presented him as an economy-sized version of Edelman, right down to his running style. Regardless, this situation could present an opportunity for McCarron to start the season.

Braxton Berrios: Another guy who looks like an economy-sized version of Edelman, the Miami Slot Machine flourished at that spot the last couple of seasons as a collegian with the Hurricanes, Pro Football Focus had him with 485 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in the slo last yeart, tied for second-most among FBS wide receivers. It’s too much to expect him to step in and replicate Edelman’s performance as a rookie (37 catches, 359 yards, one touchdown). But if he can provide some sort of “bridge” performance out of the gate as a slot option until Edelman can return, it could benefit the Patriots in the long run.



Jordan Matthews: The wild card. Matthews has all sorts of positional versatility over the course of his career, but has lined up in the slot more than on the outside. That’s where he did the bulk of his work in his first two years in the league: As a rookie with the Eagles in 2014, 92.4 percent of his targets came from the slot. In 2015, that number was 92.7 percent. (Both stats are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.) He had terrific production — in those two seasons. He had a combined 152 catches for 1,869 yards and 16 touchdowns. The reason he's still a bit of an unknown? His inexperience in the system and his health issues. If he can get on the same page with the quarterback and stay healthy — which is a serious question, given his struggles in that department as of late — he could be in line for a lot of work in his inaugural year with the Patriots.



Chris Hogan: Hogan does have some slot experience in the New England offense, and might ultimately be the most familiar wide receiver on the roster with some of the nuances of the position, at least when it comes to working with Brady. (He saw plenty of time there in last year’s season-opener against the Chiefs, as the Patriots didn’t have Edelman that night, and Amendola left with a concussion in the second half.) Ultimately, Hogan’s best value might come outside where he has the most experience. But a domino effect could take place — a solid start from the likes of Kenny Britt or Phillip Dorsett could set things up nicely for Hogan to spend more time in the slot as needed.