FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — On a day when the New England Patriots welcomed Mohamed Sanu to the team, it also seemed to be a goodbye to Josh Gordon.
The Patriots placed receiver Gordon on the injured reserve on Wednesday due to a knee injury suffered two weeks ago in a victory over the New York Giants. He missed practice last week and did not play in Monday’s game against the New York Jets.
Gordon was out at the start of Patriots practice for the team’s walkthrough but was listed as “did not participate” on Wednesday’s injury report .
According to the NFL Network, this likely signals the end of Gordon’s time with the Patriots. He was placed on the IR because of two bone bruises in his knee, but the receiver still thinks he can play this season.
NFL Network reports that the Patriots are reportedly planning on waiving Gordon off the IR when he’s fully healthy so he can sign elsewhere.
The Patriots traded for Gordon last season. He caught 40 passes for 720 yards in 11 games before being suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
This year, Gordon started all six games he played, catching 20 passes for 287 yards and a touchdown, ranking second on the Patriots in receiving yards.
Without Gordon, the Patriots acquisition of Sanu becomes even more important. The team shipped a second-round pick to the Atlanta Falcons. Sanu practiced in the team’s walkthrough.
IT WILL BE a challenge in trying to get Sanu up to speed ahead of Sunday’s game against Cleveland.
How? Coach Bill Belichick says it’s more about just getting him ready to take the field, rather than trying to master the entire offense.
“It’s more about the gameplan right now than it is starting on Day 1 and going through an installation schedule,” Belichick said. “Just really what we’re doing this week, what the Browns do, what their coverages are, what our gameplan is, what our assignments are, what adjustments we have to make and so forth.”
Right now, the top priority is getting Sanu ready to take the field with Tom Brady. The big picture? The time for that will come later.
“There’s a lot we have to catch up on,” Belichick said.” But the most important thing for a player coming onto the team is the immediate game, upcoming game. So we’ll focus most of our attention on that.”
MICHAEL BENNETT returned Wednesday after his one-week suspension for conduct detrimental to the team. After his first practice back, we’ll see how long he lasts in New England.
The discipline came after the veteran had a verbal disagreement with Patriots defensive line coach Brett Bielema on Oct. 11. The disagreement stemmed from Bennett’s declining playing time and happened 24 hours after the defensive lineman played just 11 snaps in the Patriots win over the New York Giants.
On Wednesday, Bennett met with the media for the first time since the suspension and didn’t hold back when asked about what transpired.
“It seemed like everybody already made their opinions about it. I mean, it’s America, you can voice your opinion about how you feel about certain situations. That’s what I did,” said Bennett, who was then asked if he took anything away from the week. “I didn’t take away nothing. I got suspended. Lost money. What am I supposed to takeaway from that? I mean, there’s no love loss. It’s just how it is.”
Bennett came to the Patriots in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles this past offseason. The 33-year-old three-time Pro Bowler was the Patriots’ marquee acquisition. The Pats even restructured his contract, giving him more money in a two-year, $16.75 million deal. However, as this season as played out, Bennett hasn’t played as much as he has in the past.
Bennett’s role with the Patriots gradually decreased leading up to his suspension. He played 55.2 percent of the Patriots’ defensive snaps in a Week 1 win over Pittsburgh. After that, the team started to lean on its talented linebacker depth more so. That led to the using fewer defensive linemen and Bennett’s playing time dropped each game.
The 11 snaps he played against the Giants were the lowest amount of defensive snaps he’s played dating back to 2012. When asked on Wednesday if he was happy in New England, Bennett said, “It is what it is.”
When asked if he’s on good standing with the Patriots’ coaching staff, he replied, “I don’t know. You’ve got to ask them.”
Belichick wouldn’t get into Bennett’s return on Wednesday. When asked if the team has moved on from Bennett’s discipline, he responded, “Yeah. We’re on to this week. We’ve moved past a lot of things this year. We’re on to the Browns.”
When asked if he expected to play this weekend against the Cleveland Browns, Bennett said he is always expecting to play.
When he’s played this season, Bennett has been solid. In six games, he has 2.5 sacks, four quarterback hits and three tackles for loss.
“It’s not hard to be yourself,” Bennett said. “Playing is always one thing, but not playing is always another thing.”
THE PATRIOTS released tight end Eric Tomlinson and safety Jordan Richards to make room for Sanu and Justin Bethel.
Bethel signed after getting cut by the Ravens on Monday.
Bethel, 29, has made three Pro Bowls as a specials team standout. He was voted in every year from 2013 through 2015 with the Cardinals. Arizona drafted him in the sixth round of the 2012 draft out of Presbyterian.
In the desert, Bethel shared a sideline with first-year Browns coach Freddie Kitchens, who’s currently busy preparing for his team’s visit to Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
“His instincts on special teams are second to none. Justin’s a very good player,” Kitchens said. “They’ve got a hell of a player with him.”
Bethel later signed with Atlanta for the 2018 season and moved on to Baltimore last March. With the Ravens, he made one defensive tackle and three special teams stops. For his career, Bethel has appeared in 117 career games, made four interceptions, including three he returned for touchdowns, and blocked four kicks.
Belichick said members of his staff who spent time with Bethel at previous stops helped inform the decision to sign him.
“He’s a good player, excellent player. He’s had a good career. I’ve had a little background with him,” Belichick said. “I feel like he’s going to help our team.”
Bethel is expected to fill Richards’ role as a core special teamer.
Richards signed earlier this month as a free agent after a brief stint in Oakland.
Tomlinson was let go after making one catch for 1 yard Monday night against the Jets, his only game as a Patriot. Tomlinson signed last week after spending time with both New York teams. The Giants released him in September.
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