Julian Edelman witnessed the New England Patriots land a new star wide receiver in A.J. Brown.
New England ended months of chatter by officially acquiring Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday. The three-time Pro Bowler will wear No. 1 instead of No. 11 out of respect for Edelman, the last Patriot to tally 100 catches and 1,110 receiving yards in a season.
Edelman discussed his former team's blockbuster move during Tuesday's appearance on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd." The Fox analyst explained how Brown's presence in the locker room could positively affect teammates by recalling how he looked up to Randy Moss early in his career.
"Everyone just straightens up," Edelman said. "When you're a young player, you sit in that meeting. (Tom) Brady didn't have to say anything. But you almost didn't want to let (Moss) down because you saw how his practice was. You saw the examples that he was giving. And anytime that you had an example as a young football player and the coaches put you on coaching tape, you looked over at Randy because you wanted his approval. Because he's that big of an aura in that room."
That doesn't mean Edelman expects Brown to score 23 touchdowns as Moss did during New England's undefeated 2007 regular season. Still, the three-time Super Bowl champion thinks the rest of the receiving room will benefit from Brown's arrival.
"I think this is gonna be an awesome addition for them," Edelman said. "By no means am I calling him Randy. I think they're different types of players, but when you get a guy like A.J. Brown, instantly everyone's job becomes easier."
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