The New England Patriots will have Josh Gordon active for the first time in Week 4, but will the ultra-talented wideout give the offense a spark?
It’s not uncommon to see the New England Patriots look lesser than expected in September. This isn’t a new story for this team in the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era. After all, they are a team with eyes on February and, though every game matters, peaking in September isn’t ideal. The concern about the Patriots, however, is that they aren’t even remotely close to that right now.
In regards to the early-season struggles of the past, many Patriots problems has been their defense. That’s an issue again to start the 2018 season. Having said that, following a 10-point outing in a loss to Detroit, there are viable concerns about the New England offense. And really, it largely boils down to a lack of playmakers.
Especially with Julian Edelman suspended (which ends after Week 4), it’s largely been Rob Gronkowski and receivers who can’t get open. Thus, Brady has been left with few viable opportunities to get the passing offense going and, with the run game stalling at times, that’s led to overall struggles.
The lacking receiving corps is what ultimately led to the Josh Gordon trade for New England. However, the talented former-Brown was out last week as he continued to recover from a minor hamstring injury. Heading into a crucial Week 4 matchup at home against the unbeaten Miami Dolphins though, ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that Gordon will see the field on Sunday.
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Per Schefter, it’s not likely that we’re going to see Gordon playing every offensive snap or really anything close to that. He’s still adjusting to a new team and offense, which takes time, in addition to getting back from the aforementioned injury.
Having said that, Gordon’s presence on the field has the potential to drastically alter the Patriots offense in a positive manner. There has never been a question about Gordon’s ability, but rather about off-field concerns. On the field though, he’s a game-breaker with speed, precision and playmaking ability that few receivers in the NFL can rival.
Even if that’s only being deployed as a part-time player at this point in the year, that’s a massive addition to the New England offense. Not only can Gordon get open easier than any active receiver on the Pats’ roster right now, but he can also make catches on 50-50 balls better than any of his new teammates.
Putting Gordon out situationally finally gives the Patriots a matchup that defenses have to respect. Not only does that open up the possibility for the new addition to make plays, but also should put less focus on players like Gronk to make plays in their own right.
It might all be a smoke-screen for now as, again, Gordon is still adjusting to life with the Patriots. However, when you look at what New England’s offense has been through three weeks and the element that Gordon can add to the mix, he could provide the spark that is sorely needed.