The New England Patriots have a logjam at wide receiver.
With Mohamed Sanu arriving in a trade on Wednesday and N’Keal Harry (IR-return) apparently on the verge of returning to New England’s active roster, Bill Belichick had shuffling to do at the receiver position. Josh Gordon ended up the odd man out — the Patriots put him on injured reserve despite Gordon reportedly dealing with a minor injury. New England will reportedly part ways with him when he’s healthy.
Why move on from Gordon, a player who has demonstrated so much potential? That much is unclear. Belichick was asked if Harry’s development played a role in the Patriots’ comfort in moving on from Gordon.
“We’re not going to carry 10 receivers on the team,” Belichick said Friday during a press conference at Gillette Stadium. “So, something’s going to have to happen. I don’t know what. I can’t imagine we’d carry that many players in one position. So, I don’t know. At some point, numbers have to become a factor when they get high. This is the National Football League, this isn’t a college.”
Belichick wouldn’t confirm they intend to part ways with Gordon.
“That’s a conversation for later,” Belichick said. “He’s not healthy right now.”
Gordon’s trip to injured reserve seemed to send the Patriots for a loop on Wednesday. The team released tight end Eric Tomlinson in the morning before announcing he had not been released later that day. Originally, Tomlinson’s release came in conjunction with the addition of Sanu. But Gordon went on IR late on Wednesday, so Tomlinson stuck around. It was a strange piece of personnel movement.
“There were a number of things going on. In the end, we made the transactions that we felt were best for the team,” Belichick said.
Harry is eligible to return to the active roster in Week 9 when they will play the Baltimore Ravens. Belichick will be faced with another difficult decision, if he intends to clear a roster spot for the 2019 first-round pick.
