The New England Patriots are once again feeling the sting of the current COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, the club placed receiver Julian Edelman on the reserve/COVID list, according to Field Yates of ESPN. It is unclear whether or not the veteran receiver has personally tested positive for the coronavirus or has simply been deemed a close contact to someone who has tested positive, both of which can land a player on the reserve/COVID list.
Edelman has not played since Oct. 25 and has remained on injured reserve since Week 7 after having a knee procedure done on his knee. Despite being eligible to return for the past few weeks, New England had yet to activate Edelman. Because he's been on injured reserve, there's a chance that Edelman hasn't been around his teammates all too much, which may prove to have sparred the club from a possible outbreak.
Earlier on Monday, Bill Belichick did provide a positive update on Edelman's recovery from that knee procedure while on WEEI's Ordway, Merloni & Fauria.
"I know he's working extremely hard and I would certainly never count Julian out of anything," said the head coach, via WEEI.com. "He's got a tremendous will and work ethic and very competitive. Football is very important to him, so it would take a lot for me to count him out, put it that way."
Belichick added: "I think Julian has made a lot of progress in the last couple of weeks. I talked to him the other day and [he's] certainly feeling better and able to do a little more each day. We'll take it day-by-day and see how it goes."
Of course, this latest speed bump by landing the reserve/COVID list will be another hurdle that Edelman needs to get over before getting back on the field.
Earlier this season, the Patriots dealt with a number of positive COVID-19 cases that included Cam Newton and Stephon Gilmore. Those positive test results from October forced the league to push the club's Week 5 matchup with the Denver Broncos to Week 6.
