Patriots operating as if they will not have Josh Gordon back this season

Josh Gordon has officially applied for reinstatement and could rejoin the New England Patriots at some point during the 2019 season, but the team is not counting on it.

Bill Belichick and the Patriots are preparing as though Gordon will not be available this season, ESPN’s Field Yates told “Dale & Keefe” on WEEI Monday.

Field Yates on @DaleKeefeWEEI talking about Patriots/Josh Gordon: The plan is not to have Josh Gordon, and if they do it’s gravy.

— Ryan Hannable (@RyanHannable) August 5, 2019

That is probably the right approach to take, as Gordon’s status remains very much up in the air. The star wide receiver was suspended once again toward the end of last season for another violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy, so his best-case scenario would likely be a multi-game suspension. Since he has been suspended multiple times and had numerous violations, it would not be a surprise if the NFL banned him for the entire 2019 season.

While Gordon was spotted working out with Tom Brady during the offseason, the remark Belichick made about the topic last week probably says it all. Gordon is a repeat offender, and that usually means bad news with substance violations.