Josh Gordon hasn't played in a meaningful NFL game since the 2014 season, but it still wouldn't make sense for the Cleveland Browns to give up on him.
Josh Gordon came into the NFL as a second-round supplemental draft pick of the Cleveland Browns. Blessed with Round 1 talent, Gordon was available for less draft capital because of a history with marijuana. Unfortunately, substance-abuse issues followed Gordon to the NFL. He was suspended 10 games in 2014 and he has been on indefinite suspension since.
Gordon has made it clear that he plans to apply for reinstatement this year, but given his past, it would be easy for the Browns to dismiss him as a potential piece of the team. They shouldn't. The reality is that Cleveland doesn't really have a lot to lose if Gordon is denied reinstatement or soon faces another suspension. In a worst-case scenario, the Browns are where they are now.
The team has a lot to gain by at least giving him a one-year look. At the very least, the team should consider giving him a year to create a market. Moving forward, they could either end up with a quality veteran receiver that could help a young quarterback, or they could end up with additional draft capital.
This could be the strategy the team has in mind. Last offseason, the Browns made it sound as if the team was prepared to move on from Gordon completely, but they now hold a different stance.
"We're not in a position at wide receiver to turn down a guy like Josh if we feel like he's settled himself," team executive Sashi Brown said, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. "Now, that's a separate question, but Josh is going to have an opportunity to reapply to the NFL, and at that time, we'll make a decision when we know what's going on."
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Let's run down some reasons why it absolutely makes sense for Cleveland to give Gordon a chance.
The most immediate reason is his potential. We saw what kind of player Gordon can be back in 2013 when he led the NFL with 1,646 yards receiving in just 14 games. Now, expecting Gordon to be that player after two years away from the game would be silly. However, he saw some glimpses of that player during Gordon's brief time in the preseason last year. You can check out a couple of his impressive plays here, courtesy of NFL.com.
Another reason is that it finally seems Gordon is taking his battle with substance abuse seriously. We've heard him say the right things before, sure, but this time feels different. Gordon checked himself into a treatment facility last year just before the start of the regular season. This in itself means little, as we've watched Johnny Manziel do the same thing only to return to his public partying lifestyle.
Gordon, though, has been living with his business manager, Michael Johnson, and working out with former Olympian Tim Montgomery.
"Josh is living with me and is in the best place mentally that he has been in dating back years before entering the NFL," Montgomery explained, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. "He has taken the proper steps to treat his issues and has followed a very strict protocol that the league and our team here has laid out for him."
Giving Gordon an opportunity also makes sense because the Browns are not yet in position to have to make a decision on his long-term future. Since Gordon only appeared in five games in 2014, he is under contract for another year and wouldn't become a restricted free agent until 2018 at the earliest.
If Gordon is reinstated and plays in 2017, the Browns could keep him for another year by tendering him as a restricted free agent. A first- or second- round tender could earn the Browns a corresponding draft pick if the team decides to let him move on—or the team could keep him another year without a long-term commitment.
Given Cleveland's plan of building through the draft, this could be the path the team ultimately chooses to take. Cleveland can showcase Gordon in 2017 then hope a receiver-needy team bites on Gordon as a restricted free agent. His value after a strong season would be much higher than it is now.
Trading Gordon now would likely yield a late-round draft pick at best. Cleveland, though, might just be able to use restricted free agency to turn Gordon into a second-round pick, which would give the team four in 2018. Cutting Gordon or moving him immediately after reinstatement would do little for Cleveland's overall rebuilding process. Giving him at least a one-year opportunity could ultimately do a lot for it.
