Josh Gordon’s reinstatement is exactly what the Patriots needed

Through the early stage of the 2019 NFL preseason, the Patriots’ receiving corps was in tatters. Julian Edelman had been held off the field thanks to a broken thumb. Demaryius Thomas wasn’t yet able to play after suffering a torn Achilles’ tendon the year before. First-round draft pick N’Keal Harry was sent home from practice to rehab a hamstring injury suffered in the team’s exhibition opener against Detroit. Rob Gronkowski remained retired.

This all left an unlikely but still possible situation: Tom Brady’s top three targets for his 2019 regular season debut would be a rusty Edelman, undrafted free agent Jakobi Meyers, and either Phillip Dorsett or Maurice Harris.

And then, in an unfamiliar narrative for New England, the NFL’s front office delivered some good news. Josh Gordon was coming back.

Gordon, a former All-Pro wide receiver, provided a shot in the arm for a depleted Patriots receiving corps after being traded from Cleveland in 2018. But a big part of why he was available for a swap of Day 3 draft picks was the same reason he failed to finish out last year’s season: a checkered history with the league’s substance abuse policy. Gordon had played in just 10 games from 2014 to 2017 while working his way through NFL discipline. His first season in Foxborough ended after only 11 games due to an indefinite suspension for violating the terms of his conditional reinstatement.

Commissioner Roger Goodell ended that suspension Friday, lifting the ban in time for Gordon to rejoin his teammates before their third preseason game of the summer. He was then placed on the non-football injury list, so it’s unclear when he will be able to practice. He did not play in his team’s third preseason game against the Panthers, which was his first opportunity to rejoin the active roster since his reinstatement.

He did join the club for his first full pads practice the following Sunday. That leaves him two weeks to get back to regular season shape before an opening week showdown with the Steelers on Sunday Night Football.

That news came just in time for Brady and the Pats.

Gordon’s presence, even when he’s not targeted, is a major boon for the Patriots. His still-potent straight-line speed gives Bill Belichick a unique chess piece to move across his offensive formation.

Last season, Belichick inserted his new weapon into the starting lineup in Week 4, just days after he’d been traded east. He made this decision even though Gordon was still learning the team’s notoriously dense playbook and only earned two targets (both caught) in his debut. Even so, the result was 60 more yards of total offense than the Pats’ previous season high and 154 more passing yards than the game prior — a 26-10 defeat to the Lions.

In his 11 games with New England, Gordon caught just 40 passes, but he made those receptions count; his 18 yards per catch were second-best in the league.

More importantly, a bonafide burner like Gordon unclogs the middle of the field for a Patriot offense that thrives when it can find space to throw near the hashmarks. Here’s how Josh McDaniels’ aerial attack looked with and without its top deep threat on the field last fall:

Gordon was responsible for adding much of that offensive punch, but he was a rising tide that lifted the rest of the Pats’ receiving corps as well. Edelman saw his receiving output drop from 6.3 catches per game with Gordon in the lineup to 5.5 without him — though an early-season PED suspension reduced his non-Gordon output to only Weeks 16 and 17. Rob Gronkowski averaged four catches and 14.7 yards per reception with Gordon stretching the field and three catches and 14.2 yards per reception when he wasn’t active.

While each player’s catch rate remained roughly the same, it’s clear Brady and the Patriots in general were more comfortable passing the ball when Gordon was on the field.

The short answer? In the starting lineup. New England has a pair of Super Bowl heroes on which it can rely in the receiving game — Edelman and James White — but limited experience behind them. Gronkowski’s retirement took away a security blanket and, more importantly, a player Brady could trust to beat his coverage when a blitz threw his pocket into turmoil. That’s the kind of presence Gordon brings.

The longer answer sees him serving as a dynamic sideline threat who not only provides game-breaking speed, but also allows a team stocked with young wideouts to flourish. Gordon’s biggest impact may be on the young duo of Harry and Meyers. The former is the first wide receiver on whom Belichick has ever deigned to spend a first-round pick. The latter is a converted college quarterback who turned into NC State’s top receiver in 2018 but failed to earn a spot in the 2019 draft.

Though they’ve taken disparate paths to Foxborough, each will have the chance to prove himself in the lineup. Harry is a refined route runner and yards-after-catch machine who also has the physicality to rip down 50/50 balls at their highest point.

Meyers lacks Harry’s speed and size, but he’s made plays at seemingly every opportunity after joining the Patriots in training camp. He’s got exceptional hands, the vision to exploit holes in coverage, and is capable of working from the slot and along the sideline. He creates separation at the line despite substandard speed and spots the ball well downfield.

He also flashed as a red zone threat in New England’s preseason opener with a pair of touchdown receptions.

Both have been impressive. Both are raw. Asking them to bolster a lineup headed by Edelman and Phillip Dorsett would have been a big ask. Throwing Gordon into the mix softens the learning curve by not only creating a more conducive passing environment, but making sure safeties have to look twice Gordon’s way before doubling down on whomever emerges as Brady’s favorite rookie.

Suddenly, the Patriots’ WR depth chart is headed by a former All-Pro (Gordon) and a former Pro Bowler (Edelman), with two former first-round picks (Harry, Dorsett) behind them and a heady lottery ticket of an undrafted free agent (Meyers) lurking in the shadows. Harris and 2018 late-round pick Braxton Berrios are are also battling for spots. Veteran Dontrelle Inman requested a release, which the Patriots granted him.

There’s a lot of uncertainty, though, between Gordon’s ability to stay on the field, Edelman hitting his mid-30s, and the growth of the club’s young wideouts. Still, Brady and Belichick have to feel a lot better about their passing offense with another potential 1,000-yard receiver on board. Gordon brings tremendous value to New England’s passing game as a target, but 2018 proved he can be equally useful as the decoy who allows his teammates to thrive away from opponent’s focus.

Getting him back on the roster is a major improvement for the Patriots. Now they just need to figure out what to do with their tight end rotation.