Cleveland Browns: Josh Gordon a key to success in 2016
Josh Gordon’s potential reinstatement is important to the Cleveland Browns’ success in 2016.
The Cleveland Browns are in an interesting situation. The one player who may make the biggest impact on the team was on the roster in 2015, but was not able to play in any games due to a season-long suspension.
That player, Josh Gordon, is now up for reinstatement for the 2016 season.
He has said that he will not surround himself with anyone who may hold him back, and has offered several apologies to Browns fans. But an apology is easy to make. The real test will be to see if he can convince Roger Goodell that he should indeed be allowed to return in 2016.
After making the Pro Bowl following the 2013 season, Gordon has only appeared in five games in the past two seasons. Yet even after all of this, Gordon remains on the roster in 2016.
It is interesting to see based on how fans want Johnny Manziel to get out of town, but Gordon’s situation is a bit different. He was taken as a supplementary draft pick in 2012 and is only owed $1.1 million this season. For such a low cost, it is worth it to keep him around because of his great talent at the wide receiver position.
Putting him on the team’s ineligible list in 2015 was frustrating, but it was worth it to keep him around with the hope that he can return this season.
He had 87 receptions for 1,646 yards in 2013, along with nine touchdowns. That kind of production from the receiver position has been a rarity in Cleveland since 1999, so the chance of having Gordon return outweighed the need to cut him and give up on him.
He is also different from Manziel in the way he has shown remorse for his actions and has, seemingly, committed to changing his ways.
He has been training hard to prepare for his possible return and continues to say the right things about turning his life around.
From a personal standpoint, this is great to see. No fan wants to see a player with so much potential fall out of the league for something that can easily be fixed.
From a football standpoint, this is great because it means the Browns will be having an elite receiver join the roster in 2016. He will fill the role of the team’s top receiver by just showing up to camp, fixing a problem that has been a glaring gap in the offense since his initial suspension in 2014.
His return can allow the team to target another receiver in the draft, giving the team two strong options on both sides of the offense. Add in Gary Barnidge and the receiving game in Cleveland becomes the best it has been in a long time.