News of Julian Edelman’s looming four-game PED suspension (pending appeal) basically put a blow-torch to the end of minicamp on Thursday.

Understandably, all the talk turned to Edelman and the fallout for the Patriots. But let’s turn the page back to the three-day mandatory camp, which was attended by Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski.

While it was a non-contact setting, with the players wearing helmets and shells, there was still plenty to be gleaned. Here are a few random thoughts and impressions.

n The new Brady: After missing the first seven weeks of the offseason program, choosing to skip the voluntary work with his teammates and changing his approach, Brady returned for the mandatory camp and basically stole the show his first day back. He was nearly perfect, completing 21 of 25 passes. He didn’t keep up that ridiculous pace the next two days, but he was still good enough to connect on 70 percent of his passes in the team drills. The quarterback, who turns 41 in August, displayed his usual chemistry with Gronkowski, Chris Hogan and James White, and also got the ball rolling with newcomers Cordarrelle Patterson, Jordan Matthews and Sony Michel. It sure looked like he can just jump back in and pick up where he left off.

Brady’s always been maniacal when it comes to preparing for the football season. The previous four years in particular, he was a fixture in Foxborough, an offseason award winner. The new Brady, however, has altered his approach. If he looks out of sorts and can’t hook up with anyone to start the season, his new approach will get blamed. That’s the risk he’s taking.

And now, the Edelman suspension brings in even more of a challenge for the offense.

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The Patriots return for practice Monday with a voluntary workout and have several more sessions during the week. Unless he has a change of heart, Brady won’t be there, even though there’s now more pressure on him to attend given Edelman’s situation. It’s even more of a gamble to be sure, but it’s hard not to bet on Brady pulling it all together.

n Replacing Edelman: The Patriots can do a number of things to get by if Edelman misses the first four games. They don’t have to make a move.

At minicamp, they had several Edelman types, including Riley McCarron, who fielded a lot of punts and played in the slot, and rookie Braxton Berrios, who was limited during the three days because of an injury. Running backs Rex Burkhead and White can also line up in the slot and catch passes. Michel, this year’s first-round draft pick, can do the same. Matthews isn’t a prototypical slot receiver in the Edelman mold, but he’s done the job on other teams.

Add Hogan to the mix, and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels should be able to patch it together against the Texans, Jaguars, Lions and Dolphins, if it comes to that.

n Patterson receives: There isn’t much doubt about Patterson and his explosiveness as a kick returner. The man who ranks second in NFL history in kick return average – trailing only Gale Sayers – will be a weapon given the new rules. He’s truly electric in the open field, and the Patriots will find ways to get him the football in the offense for that reason.

During last week’s workouts, however, it was pretty obvious his skills as a receiver are not the best. He tended to be a body catcher, as opposed to the preferred method of catching with the hands. Patterson is incredibly athletic, but he still seemed to struggle, whether it was gaining separation or running the actual routes. It remains to be seen how much he’ll be used as a receiver.

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n Gronk’s sidekicks: While a lot has been written about the wide receiver competition, there’s also a battle brewing for the spots next to Gronkowski at tight end.

The Patriots carried Dwayne Allen and Jacob Hollister last year. Allen, who has a hefty salary, is an elite blocker and worked with Brady on Tuesday to try to establish a better rapport. Even with that, he might have to restructure his contract to stick around. Hollister, meanwhile, was one of the best players at minicamp. He told reporters he added some muscle and got rid of some fat; the offshoot was constantly getting open for Brady and Brian Hoyer. Hollister beat Devin McCourty and Duron Harmon on several occasions.

Then there’s giant Troy Niklas, a noted blocker who also showed some receiving skills.

“I’m just going to keep grinding and hopefully grind out a role in the passing game,” said Niklas, a former Notre Dame star who was with the Cardinals the past two seasons. “We’ll see how it goes.”

Will Tye also made a positive impression. Rookie Ryan Izzo and Shane Wimann are at the end of the depth chart for now.

n They got it covered: First off, Stephon Gilmore has looked a lot more comfortable this offseason, his second as a Patriot. He had multiple pass breakups during last week’s workouts.

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The race to take over the spot opposite Gilmore may go down to the wire. We didn’t see Jason McCourty in any of the team drills for some reason, and he dodged when asked about his health.

Eric Rowe, meanwhile, lost reps to J.C. Jackson. Rowe was beaten several times, notably by Kenny Britt, Edelman and Matthews.

Jackson, an undrafted rookie out of Maryland, might not be the next Butler, but he does have a shot at making the team. He made some nice plays, in particular knocking a ball away from Patterson on a deep comeback route.

Jackson will likely battle it out with Keion Crossen and Cyrus Jones for a roster spot. Both Crossen and Jones spent most of the week on the lower field rehabbing injuries. Crossen was terrific in the one practice he participated in prior to minicamp. He’s also someone to keep an eye on.

n Pick a punter: Punting might not be the most exciting part of the game, but the duel between lefties Ryan Allen and Corey Bojorquez has been interesting to watch. Allen, the incumbent, doesn’t have the boom factor or leg that Bojorquez has, but he’s more of a technician and hits his spots. Bojorquez, a rookie, throws up moonshot after moonshot but doesn’t always have control, kicking them for touchbacks.

Bojorquez played high school soccer and before becoming a college kicker at New Mexico.

“A lot of soccer players think they can do it and then they go out there and they are shanking it left and right,” he said. “It’s very different for sure.”


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