As were most Patriots fans, I was excited to hear that Josh Gordon was getting reinstated by the NFL. While I’ve read that some think the timing is terrific for the injured receiving corp, I don’t agree. I actually think the timing is a bit suspicious and doesn’t help the Patriots as much as it would a few weeks from now.
Obviously with the news dropping on a Friday night and the Patriots having their next pre-season game the following evening, no one was really expecting The Flash to be suiting up in Music City. Hearing that he’s eligible on Sunday but can’t participate in the Patriots’ 3rd preseason game is one of the oddities that I’ve observed. Everyone knows that the 3rd preseason game is the “realest” of all of the pre-season games. While I’m sure they will be fine without it, denying Brady and Moss the opportunity to get some legit pre-season. reps is about the only thing this weird stipulation does.
The other reason I find the timing of this reinstatement odd is that it makes dropping the roster down to 53 just a little bit harder. Once the roster is already at 53, it’s a lot easier to claim a player is injured without having to jump through all the hoops. By putting Gordon back on the Patriots at this point in the game, roster cuts are definitely going to include an additional offensive player who “knows the Patriot way” and will be scooped up for that knowledge alone.
RSS Feed
