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Cleveland Browns waiting just to trade Josh Gordon?

By Kevin Parvizi

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Cleveland Browns star wide receiver Josh Gordon isn’t eligible for reinstatement into the league until February, so some fans are holding out hope that one of the game’s most electric wide receivers will be able to return to the team in 2016 to give the Browns questionable passing attack an important boost. Of course, the Browns finally did well for themselves at the position in the offseason, signing solid veteran Dwayne Bowe and scooping up Brian Hartline, who was previously an average but reliable receiver before becoming invisible in 2014.

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In her recent Twitter mailbag, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer was asked about how the Browns organization feels about Gordon, who is clearly in limbo with the team, even as the organization seems to be holding out hope for his return.

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Cabot’s answer is even more interesting than I anticipated, because she wrote that while a “wait-and-see approach” is in order right now, the Browns “will likely consider trading” Gordon if he proves he’s “clean” and can get back into the league via reinstatement.

It isn’t a terribly surprising statement from Cabot, as Mike Pettine and the Browns were all too willing to express their disappointment in Gordon for his repeated lapses of judgment.

Cabot closed off her response to the excellent question by writing, “He would have to convince the Browns that he wouldn’t get suspended again, and I still think they’d still be skeptical. Remember, this regime didn’t draft him and the leash has all but run out.”

It’s worth noting that a Browns official met with Gordon, as reported by ESPN NFL Nation’s Jeremy Fowler last week, and he’s living in Cleveland whilst keeping in touch with his teammates. Gordon wants to stay with the Browns organization, but it looks like he could be on his way out if the front office and coaching staff aren’t sold that he can right the ship. They have reasons to be skeptical, no matter how amazing Gordon was in his 2013 campaign in which he averaged 117.6 receiving yards per game.

If the Cleveland Browns are indeed serious about the idea of dangling Gordon as trade bait once/if he returns to the team, then I wonder who would be interested in going after him. I’m sure there would be plenty of contenders with strong front offices in the running, and I’m sure everyone will be busy linking the likes of the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks to the speed demon, who was once used as a trade chip for then-Philadelphia Eagles and current St. Louis Rams QB Nick Foles.

I have a feeling that no matter what happens with Gordon, the Browns will be happy knowing that they have a true go-to receiver and excellent, underrated slot weapon in Andrew Hawkins.

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