The New England Patriots not only survived the loss of wide receiver Julian Edelman in 2017, but they even thrived in the Super Bowl against one of the best and most disruptive defenses without Brandin Cooks and his 65 receptions and 1,082 regular season yards (all statistics from Pro Football Reference unless otherwise noted). While New England lost 41-33 to Philadelphia, the 505 yards passing was not the reason.
New England traded Cooks to the Los Angeles Rams for the first round draft pick that turned into Isaiah Wynn. They also lost veteran slot receiver Danny Amendola in free agency to the Miami Dolphins who overpaid the oft-injury prone veteran with a two-year, $12 million deal after he took pay cuts to remain in New England the past three seasons.