FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots special-teams captain Matthew Slater is one of the team’s most engaging players, but he also knows the importance of following instructions from coach Bill Belichick. One exchange in the locker room Wednesday afternoon highlighted this point.

Asked if he has had a chance to see some of wide receiver Josh Gordon’s special traits in practice, Slater smiled.

“I can’t get into the details of that,” Slater said.

Are you sure?

“Pretty sure,” he responded, laughing.

Gordon’s integration into the Patriots’ system since joining the team Sept. 17 -- and how much he might ultimately contribute -- is one of the compelling storylines surrounding the wideout-needy team. Gordon was limited in practice all last week, and he didn’t play in Sunday night’s loss to the Lions, although he made the trip to Detroit and spent time on the field before the game doing some light work.

He was limited again in Wednesday’s practice, according to the team’s official injury report, and again wasn’t present during the media-access period in the locker room.

His jersey, however, is now being sold at the team’s pro shop.

“Certainly happy to have him here, certainly appreciate the professionalism he’s shown since he’s been here,” Slater said. “We’re all just taking it one day at a time. I appreciate him as a football fan, and I certainly appreciate having him as a teammate, and I appreciate the approach he’s taken thus far.”

Asked what he appreciated as a football fan, Slater said, “You’ve seen what he’s been able to do when he’s been on the field. He’s a very gifted young player and has a lot of God-given ability.”

That’s about as far as players and coaches have been willing to go when asked about Gordon.

“I’m not worried at all about Josh’s ability to pick up our system,” offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said. “He’s already demonstrated an ability to do that.”

But as for his role, McDaniels was noncommittal.

“I think that’s still to be determined as we get closer and closer to him actually being able to be active. He’s learning. It’s not easy to come in in the middle of the week and try to pick everything up immediately, guys coming from different systems,” McDaniels said. “But he’s doing a really good job of working hard at that and trying to get himself caught up so that he knows what to do when he’s out there and can do it at a dependable level.”

Gordon’s hamstring, it seems, is the main holdup.

“He’s working to learn, he’s working to understand how we do things, and whenever he’s back healthy and out there, that’s when we really get to work on seeing what we’re all capable of when we’re out there,” quarterback Tom Brady told Westwood One radio.

Cornerback Stephon Gilmore offered his take on Gordon.

“He’s come in and worked hard and tried to help the team out, his attitude," Gilmore said. "But I’m just really trying to focus on Miami, their receivers, and do whatever I can to stop them.”

That was echoed through all corners of the locker room.

“He’s just studying his playbook every time I see him, trying to get better,” tight end Rob Gronkowski said of Gordon.

Asked what he has noticed from Gordon on the field, Gronkowski stayed on point.

“You’ve got to ask coach about that one,” he said.