10. Julian Edelman, New England Patriots
Last season, Edelman led all slot receivers in targets (102) and receptions (70), and he’s been one of the most productive slot targets of his era. He was also the one receiver on the Patriots’ roster who could get any level of separation against opposing defenders. So, why does he rank 10th here?
Several reasons. Edelman had the league’s most opportunities to succeed as a slot target, but he ranked fifth in slot yardage with 759, he caught just four touchdown passes, and he tied for the league lead with nine drops from the slot position — Dallas’ Randall Cobb was the other culprit there. Now, there can be several different reasons for dropped passes. Receivers will be dinged at times for their inability to catch helium balls and wormburners from less than accurate quarterbacks. And it’s not as if Tom Brady was the Tom Brady of old in 2019, but when we say that Brady didn’t get any help from his receivers, that includes Edelman.
As NESN’s Doug Kyed pointed out in 2018, Edelman’s drop issues are nothing new, but in 2019… well, the tape shows some real howlers.
So… I'm Team Edelman and all that, and I know New England's passing game was a hot mess last season, and his drop rate has been an issue for a while… but 2019 was specifically UGLY. pic.twitter.com/pubRviH04l
— Doug Farrar (@NFL_DougFarrar) July 24, 2020
At age 34, Edelman is a high-volume receiver who shows up well in standard counting stats — his 1,117 overall yards in 2019 marked a career high, and his 100 total catches was the second-highest total of his career. But there are base numbers, and there is true efficiency and value, and it’s no surprise that Edelman ranked 55th among qualifying receivers in Football Outsiders’ season-cumulative efficiency metrics, and 62nd in per-play efficiency. It could be that time is running out for the veteran unless there’s a turnaround in 2020.