New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman has suited up with new teammate Josh Gordon just once in his career. Suspended for the first four games of the season, that came last week in a win over the Indianapolis Colts.
Despite his lack of familiarity with Gordon, Edelman is already lobbing a ton of praise in the direction of the troubled receiver.
“Dude works hard. Great teammate. I really think he can be a really big piece of us,” Edelman said Thursday, via ESPN. “It’s exciting to be around him. He loves football, you can tell. He knows his stuff. It’s getting more and more fun the more he knows.”
Gordon, 27, was traded from the Cleveland Browns to New England last month after his original team grew tired of his antics. It was somewhat of a surprise given that the Browns had stood behind Gordon following multiple league-mandated suspensions over the past six seasons.
Remember, Gordon was suspended for the entire 2015 and 2016 seasons after repeated violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. He also took a leave from the Browns this past summer as a way to help himself remain sober off the field. Something happened after Week 1 that forced the Browns to say enough was enough.
For New England, the addition of Gordon coupled with Edelman’s return from suspension could end up being a boon moving forward. At the very least, Gordon now knows he has a supporter in the form of a fellow receiver.