Earlier this month, the New England Patriots’ offense received a welcome surprise — and an enormous boost: the NFL announced that wide receiver Josh Gordon was reinstated from his indefinite suspension and allowed to rejoin the team two days later. Upon his return, however, the Patriots did not immediately reinsert the 28-year-old into their lineup and instead placed him on the non-football injury list (NFI).
Today, Gordon came off the list again: the second-year Patriot, who caught 40 passes for 720 yards and three touchdowns during his eleven games with the team last year, was back at practice in pads and a helmet — an indication that he had been removed from NFI. Shortly afterwards, the move became official which means that the path is now cleared for Gordon to play for New England on opening day.
Don’t be surprised if the former Cleveland Browns wideout sees considerable action right away in his return. Gordon and quarterback Tom Brady have shown tremendous chemistry in 2018, after all, with the pass catcher establishing himself as a capable X-receiver in New England’s scheme. He is expected to play this role again this season and serve as a starter at the X-position ahead of first-round rookie N’Keal Harry.