New England Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon was reinstated by the NFL earlier this month, but head coach Bill Belichick is not sure if Gordon will play in the season opener next week:
“We haven’t even started the gameplan for the Steelers yet,” Belichick said of Gordon's status for the Patriots' Week 1 matchup, according to Nick O'Malley of Mass Live. “It’s way too early to formulate an answer on that question for him or, I’d say, a lot of other people.”
Gordon played against the New York Giants in the Patriots' final preseason game on Thursday night, marking the first actual game he had played in since last December. While he caught two passes for 60 yards, he also looked a bit out of shape, which is understandable for a guy who hasn't had much time to get conditioned this summer.
It's also entirely possible that Belichick simply doesn't want to reveal his hand this early for strategic purposes, which could explain his reluctance to commit to Gordon for Week 1.
The Patriots acquired Gordon in a trade with the Cleveland Browns last September. He went on to play in 11 games with New England, catching 40 passes for 720 yards and three touchdowns before being hit with an indefinite suspension for violating the league's drug policy.
Gordon, who played his collegiate football at Baylor University, was originally selected by the Browns in the second round of the 2012 NFL Supplemental Draft.
He had an outstanding first two years in the league, including a 2013 campaign in which he hauled in 87 receptions for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns.
However, since then, Gordon has played in just 22 games due to drug-related bans.
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