New England Patriots receiver Josh Gordon is officially back. After being suspended indefinitely for again violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy, Gordon has been reinstated by the league.
Gordon's return provided the Pats with a huge boost offensively, and the coaching staff is excited about having him back in the facility.
After Chad O'Shea left to become Brian Flores' offensive coordinator in Miami, Gordon now has a new position coach. Joe Judge took over as the Patriots' receivers coach, and he raved about his wideout earlier this week, via Henry McKenna of the Patriots Wire.
“We had a relationship last year, just in terms of I’m always working with everyone on the roster (on special teams),” Judge said Monday. “I was very happy to see Josh back with us. I can’t tell you how glad he made me. He’s a blast to work with. Every day, he comes to work and he’s just fun to be around.”
New England's group of pass-catchers was looking a bit thin before Gordon came back, so his excitement is understandable. Unfortunately Gordon had to miss most of the team's offseason due to the suspension, but he should be able to catch up quickly.
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels acknowledged that it isn't going to all come back overnight, and that he'll have some work to do now that he's back in the building.
“With Josh, there’s some recall and at the same time I think you have to understand playing football, it’s not an easy thing to just say, ‘OK, here, pick up and go,’ you know?” McDaniels told reporters. “He’s a good learner. He has some recall from last year, and at the same time I think you owe every player on your team the opportunity to go out there and work and get coached and make some mistakes and get better, go through the walkthroughs and the meetings.”
Gordon showed strong chemistry with Tom Brady last season, and it should only get better in 2019. It'll be entertaining to watch, and hopefully he can stay on the field.
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