Julian Edelman Injury: Updates on Patriots Star's Hip and Recovery

New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman exited the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts with a hip injury. 

The Patriots' Twitter account reported the latest on the wideout's ailment:

However, he would return with just under five minutes remaining in the second quarter:

Edelman, 28, has been one of the most steady receivers for the Patriots over the last two seasons. In 2013, he broke out with 105 receptions for 1,056 yards and six touchdowns. He has nearly mirrored those numbers this season to help New England win the AFC East.

Doug Kyed of NESN noted how productive Edelman has been this year:

This isn't the first time Edelman has been injured this season after suffering a concussion earlier. However, the slot receiver has proven his durability by missing just one game over the last two years.

Not only is he a great receiver, but he's also a useful blocker downfield in the running game. Belichick spoke about Edelman's ability to help the offense in a multitude of ways, via Kyed:

"

Julian is a tough kid. We knew that right from the beginning. He’s always been a very willing blocker. Technique and angles and really understanding where the running play is intended to go based on what happens on the play can definitely affect the blocking, and certainly we get a lot of different looks from the defense relative to different run-force combinations and alignments and so forth.

"

If Edelman is forced to miss additional time, the Patriots would be without a key offensive weapon for Tom Brady. The likely replacement for Edelman would be Danny Amendola, a limited-role player throughout his career with the Patriots.

New England also has a wealth of other targets for Brady, including Brandon LaFell and Rob Gronkowski. 

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