It’s been noted that Josh Gordon has had some off the field issues. Since 2013, he’s been suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy several times. There’s been more focus on what he’s done off the field than what he’s done on it which is understandable because he hasn’t played much. On September 17th, 2018, after the news circuits kept speculating that he would be traded, the New England Patriots acquired Josh from the Cleveland Browns. He had an immediate impact giving Tom Brady that big threat on the perimeter that could get down the field for those chunk yards. Last December, Josh announced he would step away to focus on his mental health. Then, the NFL announced he would be facing a ban for violating the terms of his reinstatement. Yesterday, the NFL decided to reinstate the wide receiver once again granting him to play this season.
Coming into camp, the lack of depth for the Patriots wide receivers was extremely thin. Yes, they drafted N’Keal Harry which I thought was a good move, but he’s missed a few practices dealing with an injury. Julian Edelman has been out with a thumb injury, Phillip Dorsett and Maurice Harris have been sidelined with injuries and Demaryius Thomas and Cameron Meredith are both on the physically unable to perform list. Let’s also mention that Rob Gronkowski is retired now. Adding Josh back to the fold of the Patriots offense gives them the “flash” they desperately needed. If he can stay on the right track, he’s projected to be a top of the depth chart option alongside Edelman who shouldn’t be sidelined for much longer. At 6’3, his size and vertical route running gave the Patriots offense a new dimension. I enjoy the way he plays the game. He has blazing speed, he can find a way to get open, he stretches the field from a vertical standpoint, he splits double teams with consistency, he has a wide catch radius and he possesses great body control to keep himself in bounds after making the catch. As last season went on, he and Tom looked to be developing more chemistry together. During the off-season, Josh even caught passes from Brady to stay in the loop.
I really hope he can keep stay on the field and he got the help he said he was going to get. He’s a talented football player that can make all the difference for his team. I really applaud the New England Patriots for deciding to stand behind him and not release him even after his continuous mistakes. That really says a lot about them as an organization. From a football standpoint, this makes the Patriots the favorites to win the Super Bowl (again).
