Last January, the New England Patriots lost one of their most important players for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs -Wes Welker. The MCL/ACL tear Welker suffered to his left knee was thought to keep the lighting quick wide-out possibly to the beginning of this season. The 29-year-old  Pro Bowler planned on being available for the Patriots opening game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Ahead of schedule, Welker caught two passes from his buddy Tom Brady last night in New England’s second preseason game of the year with the Atlanta Falcons. The 5 ft 9 receiver was welcomed back to the NFL catching a six yard grab before getting hit by four Falcon defenders. Welker then brought down an acrobatic 14-yard catch that was thrown behind him. Though he only played six plays, Welker’s return to full action is great news for the Patriots.

Only a few days after the Patriots released veteran corner Shawn Springs, the team released quarterback Jeff Rowe and tight end Robbie Agnone. The Pats did sign former Seahawks quarterback Mike Teel after he was released from Seattle. Teel won a spot on the Seahawks as a undrafted rookie out of Rutgers. He is the fourth quarterback currently on the Pats’ roster, and will have to battle Brian Hoyer and draftee Zac Robinson for the back up position to Tom Brady. In other news, injured receiver Wes Welker told the media that he believes he’s doing very well in his rehabilitation. Welker said it was too early to put a timetable on his return, but made it clear that he was optimistic. The Pats are hoping veteran wide out Tory Holt still has some gas in the tank to make up for Welker, if he’s not fit early on in the season. The 33-year-old had 51 receptions last year with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Patriots are resigned to the fact that they will be without wide out Wes Welker when they enter the 2010 NFL season. Welker suffered a season ending knee injury and might not be available until next Thanksgiving. New England signed former-Patriots receiver David Patten this week, but the 35-year-old was out of football in 2009 and might not even make the team next year. The Patriots’ loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs last season showed how important Welker is to the offense. In the past three seasons in New England, Welker has caught more than 110 receptions, racked up more than 1100 receiving yards, and been a big leader in the locker room. Tom Brady uses Welker almost as a running game, moving the chains with short pass attacks to the 5′9 receiver out of Texas Tech. Expect the Patriots to draft a receiver with one of their early picks to give Brady more options next season without on of his favorite targets in the lineup for a good chunk of the year.