There’s a “good chance” Sunday’s Week 4 showdown between the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins will feature the Patriots debut of wide receiver Josh Gordon, per the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The #Patriots, who traded for Josh Gordon (hamstring) a week ago, may see the debut of their talented WR today vs the #Dolphins. There is a “good chance” he plays today, source said, provided a pre-game workout goes well and Bill Belichick decides he’s ready.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 30, 2018
Acquired from the Browns on Sept. 17, the 27-year-old Gordon has been a limited participant in practice throughout his New England tenure due to a hamstring ailment, and was inactive in last Sunday’s 26-10 loss to the Lions.
“Josh is working hard on and off the field,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said on Friday when asked about Gordon’s progress within the Patriot scheme. “He’s done everything he can do.”
The expected call to Gordon comes after what was a downright disastrous offensive performance in Detroit, and with Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in seemingly dire need of additional help in the passing game.
“Every day we’re just learning more and more,” Brady said of his budding relationship with Gordon. “Anytime you incorporate players and that’s just – there’s a process that you go through and you’re trying to get familiar with different players and what they do. We’ve incorporated quite a few this year and just try to do the best you can.”
Per Rapoport, the ultimate decision as to whether or not Gordon gets into the game will come back to how he looks in his pregame warmup, and whether or not Belichick believes the 6-foot-3 wideout is ready to contribute.
Gordon caught one pass (a 17-yard touchdown) in Cleveland’s Week 1 tie with the Steelers.