Patriots' Julian Edelman Reportedly Set for IR After Surgery on Knee Injury

New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman is expected to miss multiple games after undergoing knee surgery earlier this week. 

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Edelman is expected to be placed on injured reserve Saturday. 

Under the NFL's adjusted rules for 2020, players who go on injured reserve only have to miss three games before their practice window can be opened.

Edelman had a precautionary knee procedure Thursday after being listed on the team's injury report since Week 1 of its 2-4 campaign.  

Edelman has struggled with knee injuries in the past. He tore his ACL in a preseason game in 2017 and missed the entire year, which ended in a Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. 

The Kent State product played the first 10 seasons of his NFL career alongside Tom Brady and posted a career-high 1,117 yards on 100 catches with six touchdowns in the 2019 regular season. But his production went downhill as he played through the knee injury this year. Through six games, he had 21 receptions on 39 targets for just 315 yards and hadn't found the end zone. 

Behind Edelman, the Patriots can look to Damiere Byrd, who is the team's second-most-productive receiver with 233 yards on 18 catches, and N'Keal Harry, who has 172 yards and a touchdown on 19 receptions.