Trio of Brady, Gronkowski and Edelman make rare on-field appearance together vs. Carolina

It wasn’t quite full Voltron, but for the first time since the third preseason game last summer, the key elements of the Patriots' passing game were back on the field simultaneously.


The last time Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman were all on a game field at the same time was a year ago Saturday for a preseason game against the Lions in Detroit. On Friday in Charlotte, the trio was back together again for a preseason contest against the Panthers. Brady was 12-for-18 for 102 yards, while Edelman had three catches for 23 yards and Gronkowski had no catches on a pair of targets in the 25-14 loss to Carolina.

With the three of them back together in the first half, there were moments where the offense appeared close to clicking. But a series of ill-timed errors — penalties, drops and other miscues — ultimately doomed the New England offense in the early going. The Patriots were inside the Carolina 30-yard line twice in their first three drives, but could only manage three points before the half, and trailed 9-3 after two quarters.

“We had the ball for a minute in the first quarter, and that’s a tough way to start,” said Brady. “We’ve got to move the ball down the field and score points. That’s what the offense is out there to do. We’re not out there to go out and punt or kick field goals. We’re out there to score points, and hopefully, score touchdowns. Our execution needs to be better.”

Edelman, who said earlier this summer he still doesn’t have his “football legs” underneath him after missing all last year with a knee injury, echoed Brady’s feelings when it came to execution.

“We really didn’t execute very well in certain situations. I had two key drops that could’ve extended the drives a little better,” said Edelman. “It wasn’t our best performance.”

As for Gronkowski, he sounded an optimistic note after playing in just his third career preseason game since 2011.

“Yeah, it definitely felt good just to get out there, get your feet wet, get some plays in,” he told reporters.

One other bright spot? The play of Phillip Dorsett. The wide receiver had four catches, including one on fourth down that allowed the Patriots to keep the chains moving, and showed a nice connection with Brady. For a team that’s looking for some depth at wide receiver, Dorsett could prove to be a key addition.

“Phil did a good job,” Brady said of Dorsett after the contest. “He made some good plays. He’s done a good job through the spring and through training camp. He’s been dependable. He’s been out there. It’s been great to watch. We got him late last year and I think he’s been banging it out, trying to find a role and he’s done a great job with his opportunities.”

When you consider the fact that the trio of Brady, Gronkowski and Edelman likely won’t play in the preseason finale, as well as the fact that Edelman faces a four-game ban to start the regular season because of a violation of the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, Friday represented the last chance to see them together in game action until Week 5 of the regular season. That made Friday’s game all the more special for Edelman, who will now be shelved for an extended stretch.

“I like getting any reps in any game,” said the slot receiver. “It was good to go out there (and) play against a good defense, a well-coached team, a lot of really explosive, good players and see what you’ve got. So we proved that we have a long way to go, and we’re going to have to get back to the boards -- back to the working -- and go from there.”