Sports analyst Skip Bayless reiterated his belief that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is still the best quarterback in football, beating Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs by a wide margin. During Fox Sports 1's "Undisputed, Bayless made this point, saying after the 41-year-old Brady beat Rodgers in their head-to-head clash and Mahomes twice, "you have to conclude he’s easily still the best QB in football." Bayless added that his pronouncement is proven and a fact. Bayless also disputed Shannon Sharpe's statement that Drew Brees, Rodgers, Mahomes, or even Ben Roethlisberger will perform at par with Brady if they play for the Patriots.

"Way less. Brady's the clutchest performer I've ever seen, including MJ," said Bayless. Also recently, Max Kellerman of ESPN believes that the Patriots will represent the AFC in Super Bowl LIV. During Tuesday’s episode of ESPN’s “First Take”, Kellerman said head coach Bill Belichick always leads the Patriots to a great record every season, and with the help of their outstanding preparation, are perennial Super Bowl contenders. Earlier, Kellerman drew flak for claiming that Brady’s production would “fall off a cliff” because of his age.

Harry to benefit from Edelman’s absence

Recently, Field Yates of ESPN reported that veteran wideout Julian Edelman will be sidelined for three weeks due to a thumb injury.

During that span, Edelman will miss the Patriots’ joint practice with the Detroit Lions from Aug. 5 to 7 and their first preseason game. Edelman is expected to return in time for the Patriots’ joint practice with the Tennessee Titans from Aug. 14 and 15. It was a frustrating development for Edelman, who recently expressed excitement over the start of training camp.

First to benefit from Edelman’s absence is rookie wide receiver N’Keal Harry, who was taken No. 32 in the 2019 NFL Draft. Expectations are high for Harry after he was the first wide receiver taken in the first round by the Patriots during the Bill Belichick era. The rookie wideout was impressive during spring practices, but he had a hard time when matched up with All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

Finding a suitable replacement for Edelman during training camp will be hard for the Patriots. Last season, Edelman caught 74 passes for 850 yards and six touchdowns and won Super Bowl LIII honors after leading the Patriots to a 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams. Edelman's injury added to the Patriots woes days before they begin training camp on July 25. The Patriots won't have their leading rusher Sony Michel at the start of training camp after he was placed on the physically unable to perform after undergoing a minor procedure in the offseason.

Patriots take a look at four wideout

According to Yates, the Patriots recently worked out four receivers after reports of Edelman’s injury came out.

Yates said the Patriots worked out Nick Williams, Justin Hunter, Papi White and Travin Dural on Monday. Williams last played for the Titans while Hunter suited up with the Pittsburgh Steelers the past two seasons. Dural and White, for their part, have yet to play a snap in the NFL. Dural and White both went undrafted in the 2017 and 2019 Drafts, respectively. Aside from Edelman and Harry, the Patriots have veteran Phillip Dorsett, Braxton Berrios, latest additions Maurice Harris and Dontrelle Inman and undrafted rookies Jakobi Meyers, Ryan Davis, and Gunner Olszewski as wideouts.
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