Wide receiver Josh Gordon has been cleared to return from his lengthy suspension, and will rejoin the Cleveland Browns after sitting out the first four games of the 2016 season.
With the 25-year-old wideout back in action, the team’s offense will have a legitimate receiving option to plan their scheme around. Cleveland’s offense has long been viewed as one of the worst in the league, and for good reason. Over the last decade, the team has finished 27th or worse in scoring eight times, while finishing 25th or worse in yards per game seven times.
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Their lack of success on the offensive side of the ball can be attributed to a number of things, and a lack of playmakers is certainly one of them. And while Gordon has had his fair share of problems off of the field, he’s an absolute monster on the gridiron, more than capable of exposing defenders in coverage.
Keeping a troubled player on a roster that is attempting to find an identity and establish a genuine football culture in the locker room is certainly risky, but, at the same time, trading him away would be somewhat pointless. If they were to ship him to another team, a fourth round pick is likely the best that they would receive in return, and that’s being generous.
Meaning that they would likely receive, at best, an average player in the draft. If I’m the managerial staff of the Cleveland Browns, I’m willing to gamble on Josh Gordon. He’s proven to be a reliable on the field player, averaging more than 100 receiving yards per game in his spectacular 2013 season – the last time that he participated in an extensive amount of games.
His game breaking ability mustn’t be overlooked, as he possesses the skill set to be an All-Pro wide receiver if he can stay out of trouble. It’s a big if, yes, but with Robert Griffin III trying to resurrect his career with the team, he can use all of the help that he can get.
The two played together at Baylor, so they’re already familiar with each other, something that will undoubtedly play into RG3‘s development with the team. The once electrifying quarterback hasn’t look as mobile in recent years, and, like he tried oh so hard to do in Washington, is going to have become better in the pocket.
If the young quarterback is going to have any chance at succeeding in Cleveland, I believe that Gordon will have to be present. He’ll give Griffin a legitimate number one receiver to target, and is a talented enough player to haul in passes that may be overthrown or inaccurate.
Trading him away for a mid-round draft pick or a middle-of-the-road player, in my opinion, would be foolish and shortsighted. I mean, the guy is only 25 years old, and just a few years ago averaged 18.9 yards per catch, while notching 87 receptions for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns.
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I just think that he’s too talented to give up on after already putting up with him during his problem years. If he has truly learned from his mistakes, which I believe that he has, it would be a shame to watch another team reap the benefits of Cleveland’s patience and understanding.