New England Patriots

Kevin Faulk says Tom Brady might throw to some big-name WRs during suspension

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:30 p.m. ET

Brett Smiley

Former running back Kevin Faulk joined the New England Patriots in 1999, the year before the franchise drafted Thomas Edward Patrick Brady, Jr., a Michigan quarterback with an unimpressive physique.

Tom Brady is currently a full participant at Patriots camp and will remain with the team through the preseason, but once the regular season and his four-game Deflategate suspension begins, he'll be exiled. That means no "football communication" with the club, no game film from the team, and he can't play catch with anyone on the roster even away from team facilities.

That's where some old friends familiar with the Patriots playbook may come to his rescue. Kevin Faulk, who will be inducted into the Patriots ring of honor on Monday, identified two probable/possible Brady workout partners come Week 1. Via NESN:

That would be quite a reunion. Welker made a brief comeback last season with the St. Louis Rams and is now a free agent. One of Brady's all-time favorite receivers, Welker reeled in 561 catches for 6,295 yards and 34 touchdowns during his six seasons in New England. Randy Moss spent three-plus years there from 2007-2009, the first of which Brady and Moss connected for an NFL-record 23 receiving touchdowns.

So this four-week underground Tom Brady training camp could be quite a spectacle.

“You know [Brady is] going to be going crazy," Faulk said of him coping with the suspension. "Well, the first week he will, but then he’ll adapt and be right where he needs to be.”

And Brady is going to have to stay in top form to avoid losing his job to his early season replacement, Jimmy Garoppolo.

Just kidding. Whatever you do, DO NOT ask Bill Belichick about that. Do not.