On Monday, news broke that infamous Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon would be reinstated by the NFL. This was shocking to hear because there was not much discussion around the league about Gordon being reinstated. For the most part, in the eyes of the NFL and the fans, Gordon playing again was an afterthought.
Despite Gordon being reinstated, he will be suspended for the first four games of the regular season but will get a chance to take part in training camp and play in preseason games. This type of ruling is unprecedented for Roger Goodell and the league to do, but for Gordon it gives him another chance to make an impact on the field. It also brings an added dimension of excitement to the Cleveland Browns’ offense.
But before we can look forward to this season, let’s look back at the last time Gordon played in an NFL game. The last time we saw Josh Gordon on the field was in Week 16 of the 2014 season. At the time, Gordon only played in the last five games, coming off a 10-game suspension.
In Gordon’s final game before being indefinitely suspended by the NFL for a year, he had four receptions for 45 receiving yards against the Carolina Panthers. The Browns went on to lose that game 17-13 and finished the 2014 season with a record of 7-9. After that season, things were starting to take a negative turn for both the Browns and Gordon.
Before receiving his one-year ban, Gordon gave the Browns something they were missing for years: a playmaker at the wide receiver position. For a supplemental draft pick, Cleveland hit the jackpot and saw the rewards right away.
In his rookie season in 2012, Gordon had 50 receptions (96 targets) for 805 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Gordon would be second on the team in the receptions and lead the team in receiving yards. Remember, he did all of this with both Brandon Weeden and Thaddeus Lewis under center.
The following season in 2013, Gordon became Flash Gordon and put himself on the map as one of the better wide receivers in the game. In 2013, he had 89 receptions (159 targets) for 1,646 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. That season, Gordon led the league in receiving yards and receiving yards per game (117.6). He went on to be named first team All-NFL and the Pro Bowl.
With things looking up for the Baylor product, they quickly went downhill for him in 2014. As I mentioned earlier, Gordon only played in five games and became the poster child of taking his talents for granted.
In 2014, Cleveland went 7-9 and both Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel were taking snaps under center. Then last season, the Browns took another step back finishing 3-13, Mike Pettine was fired and Manziel started his downward spiral.
But this offseason signaled a new day in the Cleveland Browns franchise as they hired Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson to be head coach and signed former second overall pick quarterback Robert Griffin III.
With both of those additions, along with running back Duke Johnson, tight end Gary Barnidge, wide receiver Taylor Gabriel and rookies Corey Coleman and Rashard Higgins, the Browns’ offense should better than it was in 2015. Last season, the Browns’ passing offense was ranked 22nd in the NFL, averaging 236.4 yards per game, while their rushing offense was ranked 23rd in the league, averaging 95.6 yards per game.
Those numbers should go up by default with the Jackson on the sidelines and Gordon possibly returning in Week 5. As the Bengals’ offensive coordinator last season, Cincinnati’s passing offense put up 245.2 yards per game, which was good for 15th in the NFL. Then, when it came to scoring offense, they averaged 26.2 points per game, which was good for seventh in the league.
Nevertheless, turning the focus back to Gordon, what can we expect from him this season? To answer this question, it’s very simple. First and foremost, Gordon has to stay out of trouble. Goodell will not give him another chance if he messes this up.
Even with the Browns, Gordon is on thin ice according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report. Cole mentions that Jackson will not give Gordon any latitude on this one. With that being said, Gordon has to be a model citizen off the field and a fantastic player on the field.
If he stays out of trouble, it is not far-fetched to think that Gordon can return to his 2012 form, where he started to make his mark on the league. But at the end of the day, whatever Gordon does from here on out falls on his shoulders.
