Josh Gordon traded to the Patriots. How is he going to adapt?

Update of the publisher: The transaction is over. The Patriots send a choice of fifth conditional turn in 2019 to the Browns in exchange for Gordon. If Gordon has been active for less than ten games, the Browns will postpone the 2019 seventh round pick, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Gordon suffered a thigh last weekend, which was to cost him the match before the Browns decided to separate. Schefter reports that Gordon is in good health to play this Sunday against the Detroit Lions.

The New England Patriots are not afraid to make big moves and they are on the verge of negotiating an exchange with the Cleveland Browns for receiver Josh Gordon.

Negotiating Gordon would not be surprising for the Browns after the team announced two days ago that it would be released Monday. His tenure with Cleveland was tough, but he finally started getting back on track after Gordon had spent two years outside football. This would have been canceled because Gordon had suffered a surprise hamstring injury before the second week and was late on the eve of the team's second meeting. The Browns lacked patience.

The trade would not be a surprise for the Patriots, given the difficulty of the team at the receiver. New England could wait until the Browns free Gordon, but there will be a bidding war if the catcher hits the free market. By exchanging for him, the Patriots would inherit Gordon $ 700,000 in cheap salary, and beat other teams that were also willing to trade for the receiver.

It is more and more unlikely that Gordon will become a free agent this week. When he lands in New England, Gordon will reinforce a team that is a constant competitor.

How's Gordon?

In the Patriots' 31-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, wide receivers represented just 104 collective yards. Tom Brady's main receiver in the day was halfback James White, who had seven passes for 73 yards.

A bad game at wide receiver was a problem that the Patriots probably saw coming from a mile away. After exchanging Brandin Cooks and losing Danny Amendola in free agency, the team played a part of musical chairs in this position.

Eric Decker, Kenny Britt, Jordan Matthews and Malcolm Mitchell were all on the Patriots during training camp and pre-season, but none are with the team.

Brady currently relies on Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett and Cordarrelle Patterson until Julian Edelman returns from a four-game suspension. But this body does not cut it.

Not only do the receivers not produce, but it's easy for the defenses to block Rob Gronkowski, who has only caught two passes for 15 yards against the Jaguars.

In Gordon, the Patriots have the kind of deep threat receiver that has helped Brady play his best. The height of Brady's Hall of Fame career came in 2007, when he pitched 50 touchdowns – 23 of which were caught by Randy Moss, perhaps the best in pursuit of deep balls.

Does Brady, at age 41, still have what it takes to take advantage of a player able to take over the defense? We just have to see.

Is this a move that the Patriots would normally make?

Certainly.

You've probably heard about "The Patriot Way" and the football's unwise and somewhat miserable approach. But that does not mean a cast of choristers in New England.

Gordon, 27, was suspended at Baylor University for a drug test and was transferred to Utah, but he never played for the team. After a quick start in the NFL in Cleveland, he was suspended 10 games in 2014 for violating the league's drug policy and then the entire 2015 season.

He was reinstated in 2016, but announced just before the start of the season that he would be entering an inpatient rehabilitation center. Gordon joined the Browns only in December 2017, almost three years after his last match.

Another transgression would probably mean the end of his career in the NFL.

The Patriots have a rigid code that players are required to adhere to and the team has no problem separating from those who are not online. This modus operandi allowed the team to take risks on many players considered as character risks or headaches.

Moss was one of those players, along with Albert Haynesworth, Aqib Talib and Chad Ochocinco. Sometimes it works and when it does not, the Patriots cut ties.

It's no surprise that the Patriots feel comfortable throwing dice at Gordon.

Do the Patriots feel a bit desperate?

Maybe, but what's the problem with that?

Brady is 41 and they only have a limited time to go get another ring. Obviously, the receiving corps is a problem and the Browns offer the Patriots the opportunity to add a talented player to the position.

The biggest concern for the Patriots is probably the fact that the team's defense has just been torn apart by quarterback Jaguars Blake Bortles for 377 yards and four touchdowns. But scoring a lot of points can help get rid, and if Gordon realizes his potential with the Patriots, the trade is worth it.