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- Mar 19, 2019
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Receiver Josh Gordon made his return to action in Thursday night’s preseason finale. It now remains to be seen whether his conditional reinstatement becomes the full-blown ability to suit up for the Patriots in 10 days, when New England raises banner No. 6 and embarks on its pursuit of a record-setting seventh Super Bowl win against the only other team with six, the Steelers.
Via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, the home crowd greeted Gordon with cheers as he caught two passes for 30 yards and drew a 35-yard interference penalty on six total targets.
Gordon’s reinstatement to the NFL after his latest substance-abuse policy suspension came with conditions, but the league did not specify the terms that would allow him to return fully and completely for the regular-season opener.
He last played against the Steelers in Week 15 of the 2018 regular season. Traded to the Patriots by the Browns in September of 2018, Gordon started 11 games for New England last year, catching 40 passes for 720 yards and three touchdowns before abosrbing his latest suspension. He received a Super Bowl ring earlier this year for his role in the Patriots’ latest championship.
Gordon provides the Patriots with a potent weapon and a trusted target for quarterback Tom Brady, who has fostered Gordon during an offseason that included ample uncertainty regarding whether and when he’d return. Gordon has little or no margin for error when it comes to drug testing and treatment; although the NFL seemingly has shown far more lenience with players who have had chronic struggles with compliance, the specter of another suspension will continuously hover over Gordon.
Still only 28 years old, Gordon’s has shown massive talent during his NFL career. In 2013, he gained 1,646 yards in 14 games with a quarterback-challenged Browns team. It’s the 14th highest single-season yardage output in league history, more than Hall of Famers Randy Moss and Terrell Owens ever had in any one season.