If the Patriots are going to repeat as Super Bowl champions, they'll have to do it without Julian Edelman, who tore his ACL during Friday's preseason game. He'll miss all of 2017 while he recovers, which means that Tom Brady will be without one of his most reliable targets, and quietly one of the league's most consistent players.

Bill Belichick probably won't be checking the mailbox for sympathy cards from the other 31 NFL coaches because even without Edelman, who had 98 receptions for 1,106 yards last season, the Patriots remain heavy favorites to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. In the simplest terms, that will remain the case as long as Brady is upright.

The most obvious example of Brady's importance to this team -- almost to the exclusion of everyone else -- came in 2006, when the Patriots' leading receiver was Reche Caldwell (61 receptions, 760 yards), followed by tight end Ben Watson, 35-year-old Troy Brown and running back Kevin Faulk. All that group did was go 12-4 and make it to the AFC Championship Game before losing to Peyton Manning and the Colts.

That offseason, the Pats landed Wes Welker, Randy Moss and Donte' Stallworth, who combined for 256 receptions, 3,365 yards and 34 touchdowns. The 2007 team finished 18-1.

The 2017 version of the Patriots offense falls somewhere between the 2006 and 2007 groups, though closer (much, much, much closer) to the latter. That means we can expect them dominate the AFC East, win at least 12 games, and make a deep playoff run. So yes, the Patriots, as currently constituted, will be fine.

Of course, that doesn't mean they won't consider all their opitons -- both inside and outside the organization. So what are those options?

1. Do nothing

Even without Edelman, New England still has wideouts Brandin Cooks, Danny Amendola and Chris Hogan. Not to mention tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Dwayne Allen, as well as some of the league's most elusive running backs in James White, Dion Lewis, Rex Burkhead and Mike Gillislee. And in the middle of it all, conducting the orchestra of never-ending first downs and points: Tom Brady.

Cooks is a younger, faster, more dynamic version of Edelman, though he doesn't yet have that kind of rapport with Brady.

"We've played together for a long time, and I think there's great chemistry in what we're doing," Brady said Friday night of Edelman. "He's just an incredible player and teammate."

Amendola, who has been in New England since 2013 but never caught more than 65 passes from Brady, is also in the Edelman mold and his role could be expanded this season. 

There's also Gronkowski, who played in just eight games last season and missed the Super Bowl. When healthy, he's the league's best tight end and Brady's security blanket, as evidenced by his 154 receptions for 2,300 yards and 23 touchdowns during the 2014-15 seasons.

2. Kick the tires on free agents

This could include someone like the just-retired Anquan Boldin, should he have a sudden change of heart after saying last week that he felt "drawn to make the larger fight for human rights a priority," adding that, "My life's purpose is bigger than football."

Whether Boldin would delay those plans because of a real shot at another Super Bowl (he won a ring with the Ravens after the 2012 season) -- or if the Patriots would want the 36-year-old -- is another matter.

This time of year other free-agent options are scarce, but some possible targets could include: 24-year-olds Dorial Green-Beckham (formerly of the Titans and Eagles) and Marquess Wilson (formerly of the Bears), 31-year-old Stevie Johnson (formerly of the Bills and Chargers), and 34-year-old Vincent Jackson (formerly of the Buccaneers).  

3. Test the trade waters

The Patriots have proven they're not afraid to make a move (see the Kony Ealy experiment), though at this point in the preseason, just weeks before the start of the regular season and with demand outstripping supply, the price may be prohibitive for New England. Belichick will happily take a flier on a player who hasn't lived up to expectations but only if the price is right.

Rarely do we see a trade involving the Pats and our initial thought is, "Man, Belichick got fleeced on that one." With that in mind, it's more likely that the Patriots wait to see what happens in the coming days ... 

4. One man's trash could be the Patriots' treasure

With teams poised to reduce their rosters to 53 next week, the Patriots could choose to sift through the free-agency scrap heap to add depth following Edelman's injury. One name to watch could be the Jaguars' Allen Hurns, a former undrafted free agent who signed a four-year, $40 million contract extension last year but appears to have fallen out of favor with new coach Doug Marrone. In 2015, Hurns caught 64 passes for 1,031 yards and 10 touchdowns. He struggled last season (35 catches, 477 yards, three touchdowns in 11 games) and has been inconsistent this preseason.

Other names to watch could be the Steelers' Sammie Coates or Justin Hunter, two big-target deep threats who find themselves on one of the deepest depth charts in the league. Coates battled injuries and drops last season but can be a difference maker when he's healthy and focused. Hunter is a physical freak of nature who, like Green-Beckham, never lived up to the hype.