Julian Edelman has made peace with the fact he won’t be playing football for the first four weeks of the regular season.

It won’t stop the veteran Patriots receiver from preparing like he will be on the field.

Edelman made several rounds of apologies to his team and fans following the four-game suspension handed down by the NFL for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancers. Now he says he plans to use what’s left of training camp to make sure his surgically repaired knee will be ready when he is able to return. The 32-year-old receiver missed the entire 2017 season with a torn right anterior cruciate ligament.

Working his way back has been a slow process that’s just beginning to pick up.

”It’s been a grind Authentic Justin Bailey Jersey ,” Edelman said Friday. ”You’re compounding day after day after day after day. … You’re always trying to go out and get better and I have to do a lot better. I feel like I got to get my legs under me a lot more.”

Edelman will miss a home game against Houston, trips to Jacksonville and Detroit, plus a home game against Miami.

He will be eligible to return to the active roster Oct. 1, enabling him to make his 2018 debut Oct. 4 against Indianapolis.

Part of the urgency for Edelman is fueled by changes the receiving corps has undergone since the end of last season. It will certainly have a fresh look to it when the season opens thanks to Edelman’s suspension, the free agency departure of stalwart Danny Amendola and trade of Brandin Cooks to the Rams.

That is compounded even more with the uncertainty surrounding the status of Malcolm Mitchell, who has yet to participate in a full practice after spending last season on injured reserve (knee).

It’s left openings for someone to earn playing time, and the list of candidates is long.

Among those in camp looking to make the roster are Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, Kenny Britt, Cordarrelle Patterson and Braxton Berrios. Free agent Eric Decker signed with the team Friday following the release of Jordan Matthews earlier in the week.

Edelman said he is encouraged by the work so far from the group. He was particularly high on Patterson, a trade acquisition from Oakland.

”He’s a great guy to be around,” Edelman said. ”He works hard Danton Heinen Jersey Kids , he’s very athletic, and he definitely helps push the unit, so I’m happy we got him. He’s going to contribute in a whole different other way. He’s very versatile, and just from his track record I’m glad we have him.”

Coach Bill Belichick also has been complimentary of the work Patterson has put in during camp.

”He has skills in offense and the kicking game in a number of different areas, return skills, coverage skills, blocking skills, catching skills,” Belichick said. ”He’s got some experience, so he’s able to utilize that. He understands his skill set and how it matches up against different types of players.”

NOTES: Friday marked Tom Brady’s 41st birthday and the team gave him a celebration on par with the one for his 40th.

There was a balloon figure version of Brady and a giant No. 12 cake. There were also birthday cards set up outside the practice field entrance for fans to sign. Fans serenaded the 19-year veteran with a rendition of ”Happy Birthday” after he took the field.

His teammates also got in on the act.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Chad Kelly has a tenuous hold on the No. 2 quarterback job in Denver, and not because Paxton Lynch is making a push to regain the gig he lost to him this summer.

Kelly gets one more shot at showing he’s a worthy backup to starter Case Keenum when he starts the Broncos‘ final preseason game Thursday night at Arizona.

Although he’s won over Broncos fans with a stellar summer Dmitry Kulikov Jersey , Kelly still has to convince general manager John Elway that it’s not necessary to scour the waiver wire for a more seasoned backup QB.

With Saturday’s cut-down deadline looming, Elway has some big decisions to make at quarterback:

—Is Kelly, who spent his rookie season on IR last year, ready to step in if needed after getting precious few snaps with the starters?

—And is it finally time to give up on the underachieving Lynch?

Elway moved up to grab Lynch with the 26th overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft. But the former Memphis QB was leapfrogged by Kelly this summer after failing to beat out another seventh-rounder, Trevor Siemian, for the starting job each of the last two summers.

Lynch is 1-3 in his NFL career and has regressed this summer. Last week at Washington, he was 3-of-7 for 39 yards against the Redskins’ third-stringers.

The Broncos solved one quarterback conundrum by signing Keenum in free agency, but they’re facing another as the preseason winds down.

“I would say right now Chad’s our 2 and he’s earned it. Right now, Paxton’s our 3,” coach Vance Joseph said Tuesday. “Obviously, we have a game to play on Thursday night. We’ll see after that how it shakes. But as we sit here now, Chad’s the 2 and Paxton’s the 3 and Case is the 1.”

Joseph Cam Atkinson Jersey Kids , however, declined to speculate about the possibility of Lynch getting cut if that order remains in place.

“Those decisions are made over the weekend,” Joseph said. “We’re going to play this game on Thursday and have our staff and personnel meetings on Friday and Saturday and determine what’s best for the Broncos. That’s all I can tell you about that.”

Kelly insisted he wasn’t worried about his standing, saying he’s just excited about starting his first game since lining up one last time for Ole Miss in 2016.

“I’m looking at it to get better. I get to go out there the first series of the whole game and prove myself,” Kelly said. “… This is the last interview you have before the regular season starts and they break it down to 53 men.”

Lynch said he wasn’t fretting over his football future, either.

“I’m not worried about anything past the next day, which is tomorrow, we come out here and have our practice and then travel to Arizona and then have our meetings there. That’s what I’m focused on. I’m focused on going out and playing well on Thursday,” he said.

Lynch reiterated his hope of sticking with the Broncos, however.

“Absolutely, I love it here,” he said. “I’ve said that since Day 1 Youth Sebastian Aho Jersey , I wanted to be The Guy here. I’ve gone through some things. I’ve struggled. I haven’t played well at times. And at times I have played well and I’ve just got to find that consistency of constantly playing well and I know I can get there.”

Lynch said he can absolutely find that consistency on the scout team.

“If you get a chance to get reps out there, you can find a way to get better and especially against our defense,” Lynch said. “You know those guys are going to challenge you every day, so you can always work your craft.”

Lynch created a bit of stir last weekend when he posted a photo on social media of a “For Sale” sign, leading to speculation he was already preparing to leave Denver.

Turns out his girlfriend is a real estate agent.

“On my day off I was with my girlfriend and we were down in the Cherry Creek area and that’s where she has some houses listed and I just took a picture of it,” Lynch said. “I was proud of her. I’d never seen her name on a sign like that, so I just took a picture of it and it kind of got blown up a little bit.”

Notes: ILB Jerrol Garcia-Williams was carted off the field after sustaining a knee injury during 1-on-1 drills.

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