Film Breakdown: Scheme Fit Benefits Seahawks WR Josh Gordon

It's not often that a player ends up in a better situation leaving New England, but in the case of Gordon, his skill set should translate more effectively to Seattle's offensive style if he's able to grasp the playbook quickly.

The Seahawks have raced out to a fast 7-2 start in large part due to one of the most prolific passing attacks in the NFL led by MVP front-runner Russell Wilson.

As the main recipients of Wilson's torrid start, receiver Tyler Lockett is on pace for over 1,300 receiving yards and rising rookie DK Metcalf has over 500 receiving yards and five touchdowns already, giving Seattle quite the one-two punch.

Now, Seattle envisions deploying a dynamic triplet of receivers with 6-foot-3, 225-pound veteran Josh Gordon entering the mix. The former second-round pick out of Utah once led the league with 1,600-plus receiving yards in 2013, but multiple suspensions derailed his career with the Browns and he most recently played parts of the past two seasons with the Patriots.

The 28-year old Gordon hasn't eclipsed 800 receiving yards in a season since his sensational All-Pro season six years ago, but the Seahawks decided to put in a waiver claim on the talented receiver despite his checkered past.

So far, Gordon has impressed the coaching staff and teammates in his first week with the team, but will it translate on the game field? After taking a quick look at all of his snaps from the past two years, three specific strengths in his game will translate better to Seattle's scheme than New England, giving him a chance to thrive with his latest team.

Strength 1: Though he may have lost a step, Gordon remains a lethal deep threat from any alignment.

Play 1: At 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, Gordon still has wheels, though he doesn’t show quite the same burst on film as he did earlier in his career. But with his size, his athleticism is still more than enough to be a matchup nightmare on downfield routes. Here, Gordon is lined up as the middle receiver out of a trips right look. The Titans disguise MOFC coverage, dropping a second safety to go into Cover 2. Taking an inside release, Gordon runs down the seam and ends up on the linebacker who has to carry the seam route. This is “mismatch city” and the completion from Brady goes for big yardage.

Play 2: One area where Gordon made tremendous growth as a player with the Patriots was running effective routes out of the slot. New England spreads Pittsburgh out with a five-wide, empty look with Gordon aligned as the slot on the left side. The Steelers are running Cover 2 and Gordon finds vacated space in the middle of the field between the two safeties. Brady delivers a perfect throw, but what makes this most impressive is Gordon isn’t deterred by an oncoming hit… he reels in the catch and holds on through contact.

Play 3: Looking at one last example against the Packers, Gordon is lined up as the “X” receiver, which plays to his strengths. He’s able to get off the line against press, has the speed to beat corners and down the sideline. The corner tries to get hands on him inside five yards here, but Gordon takes an outside release and gets a step of separation. The coverage here is really good, but Brady throws it up and lets his receiver go up and get the ball. Between two defenders, including an oncoming safety, he rises up for the 30-yard snag.

Strength 2: Few receivers are better at high pointing a football or making a contested catch in traffic.

Play 4: As he’s done throughout his NFL career, Gordon uses his physical stature effectively to high point the football and reel in tough contested catches. The Patriots motion the slot receiver into the backfield with Gordon aligned as the middle receiver on the trips side. Taking an inside release, Gordon runs a 20-yard drag route across the middle of the field. With three defenders in the vicinity, Brady threads the needle and Gordon manages to make a leaping catch in heavy traffic.

Play 5: Sticking with the same game against the Jets earlier this year, Gordon lines up as the outside receiver on the left side of a 2 by 1 formation. New York deploys a Cover 4 look with a simple four-man rush and no additional pressure. Gordon initially takes an outside release on a quick out, but then turns upfield. Though he doesn’t look to be open, Brady throws it up to him along the sideline and Gordon skies up for the reception, managing to get both feet down inbounds even after taking a hit.

Play 6: I have to include one more personal favorite here, dating back to one of Gordon’s first games with the Patriots against the Colts. He’s the lone receiver opposite of tight end trips and nestled close to the right tackle. He initially runs a 12-yard drag route, but he’s not open and goes into improvisation mode. He adjusts his route to start working back to the right and Brady lofts the ball up into double coverage in the end zone. This is typically viewed as a horrible decision, but Gordon makes Brady look wise by plucking the ball out of the air between two defenders for a touchdown.

Strength 3: Amasses yards after the catch in bunches, extremely difficult to bring down in open field.

Play 7: The Patriots have always relied on an effective quick strike passing game and Gordon found success racking up yards after the catch during his brief stint with the team. In this first example against the Redskins, Gordon is aligned on the left side of the formation on the line of scrimmage. He finds a soft spot against the Cover 3 look and settles on a 15-yard hitch then throws a nasty stiff arm to drive a tackler to the ground. He picks up close to an additional 10 yards after the catch here.

Play 8: Rewinding to the season opener against the Steelers, Gordon is aligned in the left slot out of an empty formation and runs a shallow crosser. The defender across from him comes on the blitz, leaving him open as he runs under the tight end’s deeper crosser. There’s nothing impressive about this catch – there’s nobody there to defend him. But watch how he finishes this play with authority. He breaks his first tackle at the eight-yard line, keeps his balance, then makes another defender miss before powering through the last tackle attempt into the end zone for a touchdown.

Play 9: I will admit on this last one… I’ve never seen a player look so gassed at the end of a reception. But Gordon runs a 15-yard dig as the outside receiver on the left side. First, he breaks through a shoestring tackle attempt, then spins out of another tackle, turning upfield with lots of green in front of him. Initially, I thought he’d house this for six points, but I don’t know where the afterburners went here. He ends up losing steam and gets brought down near the goal line, but still an impressive performance after the catch.

Final Verdict

Gordon has always been one of those “he’s talented, but…” kind of players, unable to fully maximize on his immense potential. At 28 years old, he is still in the prime of his career and though he may not have the explosive first step he once did, he’s still athletic enough to be a matchup problem on the outside and out of the slot and his size creates issues for cornerbacks and safeties. He’s not going to be asked to run a million routes – and in Seattle’s scheme, that’s perfectly fine.

The Seahawks love taking downfield shots and also mix in crossers and slants with great regularity, so his strengths should fit mesh well with their style, especially catching passes from arguably the best deep ball thrower in the league in Wilson. Expectations must be tempered based on his history, but if he has a grasp of the playbook and chemistry with Wilson develops quickly, he’ll add yet another dangerous weapon to Seattle’s top-five passing attack for the final stretch run, potentially as early as Monday night against San Francisco.