Bucs signing Cole Beasley, which ought to silence any Julian Edelman-Tom Brady reunion talk ... for now
BOSTON -- Julian Edelman has been awfully flirtatious with an NFL comeback over the course of the past month. But a development on Tuesday morning would seemingly take the juice out of that potential -- at least for now.
With injuries up and down the depth chart at wide receiver, plus a looming suspension for Mike Evans, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are adding veteran slot receiver Cole Beasley to the practice squad.
NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported the news, noting that Beasley "was going to hold out for the right situation" and decided playing with Tom Brady fit that bill.
Garafolo said there's an "expectation" that Beasley "will be elevated to their roster in the near future."
News from @gmfb: The #Buccaneers are signing veteran WR Cole Beasley to their practice squad with the expectation he’ll be elevated to the active roster soon, source says.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) September 20, 2022
Tom Brady pushed to bring in another veteran pass catcher and has had Beasley on his radar for a while. pic.twitter.com/dTBH64cgyR
Beasley, 33, spent the last three seasons in Buffalo. He caught 82 passes for 693 yards with one touchdown last year.
In his 10-year career, Beasley has 320 receptions for first downs and 34 receiving touchdowns. With 550 career receptions, that comes out to 64.4 percent of his receptions resulting in either a first down or a touchdown.
Edelman, of course, hasn't played since the 2020 season, when a serious knee issue limited him to just six games. He's been open and honest this summer about feeling good enough to play football. Though he's stated he would only play for the Patriots, the lure of reuniting with Brady is a force that can't be ignored. For the foreseeable future, though, the TB12-JE11 connection will be remaining dormant.