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January 20, 2016“I think the big guy is huge in this league,” new Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson recently said on 92.3 The Fan. “You gotta have a dominant vertical threat in the National Football League to have a good offense.”
As offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals, Jackson had such a threat in A.J. Green. Standing 6-foot-4 and boasting sub-4.5 speed, Green is the prototypical No. 1 receiver. He has gone over 65 catches and 1,000 yards in each of his five NFL seasons. With apologies to Dwayne Bowe, the Browns didn’t have that sort of target on the field in 2015. They do, however, have one on the roster: Josh Gordon.
Per cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, Gordon has applied for reinstatement into the NFL. He was initially suspended by the league for “at least one year” and did not play at all in 2015. His application for reinstatement opens the possibility that he will play in 2016.
Gordon was suspended for a minimum of a year on Feb. 3 after multiple violations of the league’s policy. In this case, he was failed an alcohol test after flying to Las Vegas after the 2014 season with teammates and a former assistant coach.
By NFL rule, Gordon could apply for reinstatement within 60 days of his suspension. Commissioner Roger Goodell now has 60 days in which to rule on his reinstatement.
In order to be reinstated, Gordon will have to prove that he’s tested negative during his year out of the NFL.
A source told cleveland.com that Gordon has been doing well and is confident he’ll be reinstated.
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Coach Hue Jackson was noncommittal when asked about Gordon at his introductory press conference last week.
“What I’m anxious to do is evaluate him just like we’re going to evaluate every player on our roster and see if they are the right fit for the Cleveland Browns,” he said.
When on the field and engaged, there aren’t many people alive with physical tools and receiving skills like Gordon. Despite being suspended for two games in 2013, he led the NFL with 1,646 receiving yards; it stands as the 13th-most prolific receiving season in league history. In 35 career games, he has totaled 161 catches, 2,754 yards, and 14 touchdowns.
The issues with Gordon have largely been off the field. He was suspended indefinitely while at Baylor for failing a drug test and wound up leaving the school and declaring for the 2012 NFL Supplemental Draft, when the Browns used a second-round pick on him. He was suspended for two games in 2013 for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. He was arrested for DWI in 2014, which resulted in a 10-game suspension. Then came the year-long suspension last year.
Is this the time that Gordon turns it all around? Who knows? If he is in fact reinstated and able to keep his nose clean, he would bring a dynamic element to the Browns offense. It’s tough to get one’s hopes up too much — fool me once and all that — but here’s hoping that he’s done visiting the commissioner’s office.
27 Comments
At this point, he’s mostly a rent-a-player, right? You’ll have him for a few games every few years, then he’ll be suspended again.
Contract year to boot? Nice thing about this is that if he comes back strong, we could lock him in as franchise WR for about 13 for 2017
No, one more and he will be gone gone gone probably wont play again
I think that suspension by the team at the end of his last season actually hit some triggers that might keep him outta free agency.
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His reinstatement is a big big big *IF*.
Just my opinion, but I don’t think so. This is his absolute last shot, as long as he did what he was supposed to, I don’t see them saying no.
We have options IF he comes back and IF he plays like a number 1 WR. We could lock him up for 1 year at around 13M or transition tag him like we did with Mack to see what other teams are offering, and then we could match any offer. Too soon to worry about these things though.
It is his second application for an indefinite suspension on his… fifth offense.
“I think the big guy is huge in this league. You gotta have a dominant vertical threat in the National Football League to have a good offense.”
Ray Farmer rejects your reality and substitutes his own. While he’s looking for a job.
hey , everybody deserves 5 chances … right ?
During this past year while he’s been suspended he’s been tested as much as three times a week. If he’s managed to remain clean throughout those rigors and met all the insane requirements of the NFL to be reinstated it is not inconceivable to consider that he hit his bottom after the last suspension and has since “seen the light.”
Also, he only played in five games in 2014 and six were required to register as a year played toward FA. As it stands he is the Browns for two years until and unless we hear anything to the contrary about his appeal of his sixth game suspension in ’14.
JG is a freak of nature with immense talent. As it stands he is ours for two years. If he has hit bottom and has accepted the reality of his situation and is dealing with it accordingly the sky is literally the limit with this guy. Based on Hue’s comments so far he understands the importance of big, vertical threat WRs and he’s not going to put all his eggs in the JG basket come draft time. If we draft our franchise QB and a stud WR and JG recognizes and embraces his literal last chance at fame and fortune the Browns could see a 2016 quite different from 2015.
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3rd offense.
Can the browns just hire someone for $100K to shadow him and follow him wherever he goes.
I just hope if Goodell does reinstatement him, he won’t fall for Roger’s “Hey, let’s go smoke a celebratory bowl” trick again.
I would take that job!
His college ones count in the substance abuse program so it is his 5th.
Considering a coach was on the plane drinking with him during the last one that might not work. Josh Gordon: Master of Peer Pressure!!
I think he’ll be reinstated as well.
Or pee in the jar.
Yep.
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Goodell doesn’t do anything unless it includes $500 million dollars.
Wow, did not know that.
I am seeing a ton of Browns fans remembering Josh Gordon differently than what he actually was on the field. In Norv Turner’s vertical passing offense, Gordon was a big asset. We had a QB with a big arm who could take advantage of the fact that Gordon is a master of gaining separation on long routes. His long strides make it look like he’s hardly running when he’s actually pulling away from you. His best attributes were accentuated in that offense and his worst attributes slid under the rug. That wasn’t the case in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. When he came back from suspension, he didn’t run a ton of vertical passing routes in that offense and there were more timing routes. Gordon struggled even when Hoyer/Weeden/Shaw/Manziel/Whathaveyou was able to get him the ball.
I would love to get Josh Gordon back if he’s truly conquered his demons, but I still want the Browns to get a big receiver who is a legitimate red zone threat. That was never Gordon’s strong suit and it’s a huge need for the Browns.
I don’t agree with the rock bottom comments. Seems like Gordon’s actually been fine for awhile, and the last incident was more a matter of lack of communication & bad timing. You can only know so much about somebody’s persona from Twitter, but the way he comports himself on there coupled with him becoming an artist makes it seem like he’s matured considerably.
Gordon still can’t run routes because he is too stupid.