Patriots head coach Bill Belichick releases a rather vague statement on Josh Gordon’s reinstatement

The New England Patriots’ wide receiver group received a serious talent boost yesterday: the NFL reinstated Josh Gordon from his indefinite suspension; he will be eligible to rejoin the team on Sunday. Needless to say that the league’s announcement was good news for both the player and the team: Gordon’s treatment for substance abuse has apparently gone well, while the Patriots add a starter-caliber player to a position recently hit by injury.

New England has to feel good about this development, even though a statement by head coach Bill Belichick released earlier today may not necessarily reflect it:

For the past eight months, Josh’s situation has been entirely a league matter. When Josh returns to our program, we will evaluate the entire situation and do what we feel is best for Josh and the team.

Needless to say that Belichick’s statement is entirely on-brand. He does not set any expectations for Gordon and keeps things in perspective. That being said, the Patriots have a reason to be excited judged on the 2018 campaign: before his suspension kicked in, Gordon played 71.2% of offensive snaps and caught caught 40 passes on 68 targets for 720 yards and three touchdowns.