Following a brutal loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the New England Patriots went out and tried to improve their team. There was definitely a problem on the defensive side of the ball, as the Patriots gave up 31 points to a team whose quarterback, Blake Bortles, is seen by many as mediocre. With that said, the offense only put up 20 points, granted it was up against an elite defense. Although most defenses will not be as good, come playoff time the offense will struggle if they play the way they did against the Jaguars. With Rob Gronkowski often in double coverage and with Julian Edelman on the bench serving his suspension, it would really help if Tom Brady had another option.
In comes Josh Gordon, the veteran wide receiver from the Cleveland Browns who was acquired by the Patriots the day after the loss to the Jaguars. He has tremendous talent, and could be exactly what Brady needs to get this offense back up to speed. However, Gordon comes with a lot of baggage, and it will be tough for this to truly work out. The Patriots traded a 2019 fifth-round pick for him, and if he is not active for more than 10 games this season, then the Browns will send back a 2019 seventh-round pick. I’m sure you are asking yourself, “If Gordon is so talented, why did he only cost a fifth-round draft pick?” The answer would be because of all the off-field issues he brings to the table.
Let’s start with why he even became available in the first place. Prior to the Browns game on Sunday, Sept. 16, Gordon had a good week of practice and showed up every day. Suddenly on Saturday afternoon, he showed up late to practice and said his hamstring was hurt. Cleveland stated he did not seem himself, and after dealing with problem after problem, they decided they had enough with him. The original report was that he was being dropped and would be a free agent, but that was when the Patriots called and successfully traded for him. He has a long history of addiction to both drugs and alcohol, and it has been a problem throughout his entire career. Since entering the league six years ago in 2012, he has been suspended by the league eight times. That includes being suspended for the entire 2015 and 2016 seasons before finally being reinstated in the second half of the 2017 season. In 2013, the last full season that Gordon played, he had a league leading 1,646 yards with 87 receptions in just 14 games played. If he could somehow return to that form, the Patriots will have hit a home run on this trade.
In reality, it is probably unreasonable to expect Gordon to put up big numbers and be a big factor. At the same time, he can be effective in different ways that do not necessarily show up in the stat sheet. If he can stay healthy and on the field, opposing defenses will have to respect the threat of him catching passes, so he will attract at least one defender and, in some cases, even two. In doing so, that will open things up for Gronkowski and for Edelman, when he comes back to the team. It would be tough for Gordon to completely learn the intricate offense that is run here, so as long as he can get on the field and show signs that he can make plays, it will be a good thing. On the other hand, if Gordon can focus and be smart, Brady will have a field day with him. From a purely talent perspective, Gordon is similar to Randy Moss in what he can do. Brady has not had a great down-the-field receiver since Moss; one could argue for Gronkowski and Edelman, but they are much different players. The things that Gordon would open up are endless and Patriots fans should really root for him to get on the right track.
Josh Gordon has been Traded to the Patriots
By Dylan Porcaro
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September 20, 2018