Hernandez or Gronk can both do that. Gronk running down 5 yards and posting up is as effective a short passing game as you'll get; and Hernandez doing like-wise with his YAC ability is also dangerous. No, neither one gets open the way Wes does - nobody does. But the short passing game will not be an issue.
Believe me Deus, I do not take the idea of parting with Welker lightly - it feels about as good as imagining Brady in another uniform or Belichick leaving and coaching another team.
But the reality is, there are a few teams in this league that have been a thorn in our side the last 5 years; and coupled with some terrible luck, poor officiating and untimely injuries, have derailed several championship bids. We cannot control those things - we can only control how we stack up against those teams. If we want to improve our chances of winning the title, we have to get faster on the outside and more versatile. And, sadly, we can't expect to do those two things while retaining Welker at the price he deserves and demands. It's heartbreaking for fans, but that's probably the way it is. He deserves to get paid, and the Pats won't have the cap space for it.
The offensive philosophy McDaniels adopted to start last season has merit in theory, but at the time, his philosophy had no bearing on reality given it made no sense to keep Welker off the field for much lesser receivers in Lloyd or Edelman. However, if the Patriots move on from Wes and Lloyd, they have money to address the position the way they truly want. I expect that they will.