FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon has been removed from the non-football injury list, paving the way for him to be part of the team’s gameplan for the Sept. 8 opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Gordon, who was conditionally reinstated by the NFL on August 16, practiced in full pads for the first time Sunday.
He is now also eligible to play in the Patriots’ preseason finale against the visiting New York Giants on Thursday.
The pieces have come together for the Patriots’ receiving corps in the last week, as Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman (thumb) was activated from the non-football injury list on Monday, veteran Demaryius Thomas was activated from the physically unable to perform list (Achilles) on Tuesday, and now Gordon.
That trio joins first-round draft choice N’Keal Harry, five-year veteran Phillip Dorsett and undrafted Jakobi Meyers (N.C. State) atop the depth chart. Harry has been sidelined since coming up gimpy in the preseason opener Aug. 8.
The day after Gordon was reinstated, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said they would “evaluate the entire situation and do what we feel is best for Josh and the team.”
With Gordon back at practice, the Patriots released receiver Maurice Harris on Sunday, a source told ESPN’s Field Yates. Harris was one of the standout performers in spring practice and generated some early momentum in training camp, but he sustained an undisclosed injury on Aug. 14 during a practice with the Tennessee Titans and hadn’t practiced since.