Julian Edelman will miss several games after undergoing knee surgery

The New England Patriots' promising start to the season feels like a distant memory. They have looked abysmal on offense in three consecutive losses to the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers, and their intrepid arsenal of weapons took another hit. Wide receiver Julian Edelman reportedly had knee surgery Thursday that will keep him out for several games.

Questions about Edelman emerged this morning when The Athletic's Jeff Howe tweeted that the receiver missed practice and said he "is expected to miss some game action." Before long, news of the surgery emerged, and now it looks like Edelman will be sidelined for the foreseeable future.

Edelman has been New England's most consistent receiver since 2013, with at least 850 yards receiving in five of the last six seasons. However, this season he's noticeably struggled, starting just one of the team's six games so far and looking like a shell of his former self. It turns out that he has been dealing with a knee injury that NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says has been "bothering him all season."

The good news? According to Howe, Edelman is not expected to miss the remainder of the season. Still, it's a tough blow for a team that has looked sluggish on offense, and you have to wonder if this is the final straw that will force Bill Belichick to make some moves to acquire receiving talent before the trade deadline next Tuesday. If not, Cam Newton and the offense may be in for a lot more long days of turnovers and low scoring.