The New England Patriots bet the farm on wide receiver Josh Gordon for two years. A tenure that came to an unceremonious end this week.
Patriots fans rooted for Gordon as his apparent work ethic was admirable to many.
Turns out that very aspect was what led to the former Cleveland Brown being released in the first place.
Per, Patriots insider Tom E. Curran, Gordon’s work ethic was not to par with the standards they wanted and was a prolonged concern for the organization.
“He was showing signs of undependability,” Curran said about Gordon.
Gordon was not necessarily looking the best as his speed and productivity took a noticeable nosedive.
The now former Patriot caught a mere 20 receptions for 287 yards in his six starts.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick gave a simple answer to the reason for his release.
“We released him because he was healthy, he passed his physical” Belichick told reporters. “It’s all in the past, (we are) looking to Baltimore at this point.”
The Patriots’ concerns for his dependability go back to this past draft where the team uncharacteristically drafted receiver N’Keal Harry who has a similar stature and skillset to Gordon.
Belichick did give a positive update on his rookie but gave no indication that he will be able to play come Sunday.
“We’ll see,” Belichick said. “He works hard, he’s worked hard with everything, special teams, offense, we’ll see how it goes for the weekend.”
The Patriots take on the Baltimore Ravens Sunday night at 8:25 p.m.
