Josh Gordon: A Glimpse of the Cleveland Browns’ Future
By Bob Turner
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
What a turn this team has taken in the last three weeks. Much of the hope and excitement that fans had has slipped away as we experienced back-to-back-to-back losses to the Bengals, Steelers and Jaguars, not to mention the concussions of Jason Campbell and Brandon Weeden.
But despite the depressing state of the team, there has been a bright spot: Wide Receiver Josh Gordon.
By now, most fans know that Gordon made NFL history Sunday when he became the first receiver ever to have two consecutive 200-or-more-yard games. What’s fascinating to me is he achieved that honor in two games that the team lost, and with quarterbacks that are not considered to be in the top ten.
Imagine what this guy could achieve with a really good quarterback? What could he get done with another good wide receiver who would give defenses another threat to worry about? How many yards could he reach with a competent running game that could set up the pass?
What Gordon has achieved this season, on a 4-8 team, is incredible. Right now, he is ranked second in the league among other wider receivers, behind Calvin Johnson.
Johnson, a seven-year veteran with Detroit, leads the league with 1299 receiving yards. Gordon, in his second season, is just 50 yards behind Johnson, with 1249. But a deeper look at the stats shows Gordon actually ahead of Johnson.
Johnson is averaging 108.25 yards per game, and is on track to reach 1732 yards for the season if that average continues.
Gordon, on the hand, is averaging 124.9 yards per game, and is projected to get 1748.6 for the season!
Amazingly, Gordon has done all this playing two games less than Johnson, because of his league suspension at the beginning of the season.
If he had played the entire 16-game schedule and maintained his average of 124.9 yards per game, Gordon would have had 1998.4 yards for the season. It’s conceivable to say that a 2000-yard season was within his grasp!
Sunday’s NFL record is not the only one within Gordon’s grasp, either. He is just 41 yards away from breaking the Browns single-season receiving record set by Braylon Edwards in 2007! Barring a catastrophe, he should get there.
So despite how bizarre this season has become, Browns’ fans should have hope for the near future. With ten draft picks in 2014, and a franchise quarterback pick most likely among them, the Browns should be able to build an offense around Gordon that will produce.
So Browns fans, keep the faith. You’re getting a glimpse this season of what the future may hold, and that future is Josh Gordon.