Cleveland Browns activate Josh Gordon. Now what?

The Cleveland Browns welcomed wide receiver Josh Gordon back on the field on Monday for the first time in almost two years.

In a move that Cleveland Browns fans have been waiting almost two years for, the team activated wide receiver Josh Gordon from the non-football injury list and Gordon practiced with the team for the first time since December of 2014.

Gordon was conditionally reinstated in time for the opening of training camp, but a pulled quad muscle has kept him on the sidelines for the first 12 practices and the preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers.

But that all changed on Monday as Gordon took the field with his teammates as they prepare for Thursday night’s preseason friendly against the Atlanta Falcons.

“It’s going to be awesome. It’s a long time coming.” – Andrew Hawkins on the return of Josh Gordon

And even though Gordon last appeared in a game on Dec. 21, 2014, he has not lost any of his confidence.

“I’m definitely the same guy. I’m confident in my abilities. I know what I can do,” Gordon said in published reports. “Given the opportunity and the right timing, right position and relying on the rest of the team as much as they rely on me, it’s a great boost of motivation, and I think anything is possible for anybody. But I definitely am aware of what I can do, and I think I can build upon that and do even better.”

It remains to be seen if, after two years away from the game, Gordon can come close to matching his 2013 season, when he had 87 receptions for a league-leading 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns. But even if he is only 80 percent of that player the Browns offense will be better off.

With Gordon planning to only take “mental reps” (his words) at practice today, that doesn’t leave much time for him to get ready to face the Falcons, and head coach Hue Jackson confirmed that “more likely not” that Gordon will not play on Thursday.

The Browns released their depth chart for the game today and Gordon is currently listed as fourth string behind Corey Coleman, Andrew Hawkins and Taylor Gabriel. That raises the question of just how Jackson is going to work Gordon back into the rotation over the next few weeks.

If Gordon doesn’t play against the Falcons, or plays very little, that only gives the team a couple of weeks of practice and two preseason games to get him ready. After not playing for almost two years Gordon needs all the practice time he can get, there is a twist.

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Since the Browns will be without Gordon for the first four games of the regular season while he serves a suspension as part of his conditional reinstatement, the team is going to need a wide receiver to take his place. So do they give additional practice reps to Gordon at the expense of another player, getting Gordon ready for the season but potentially hurting the team in the short term?

Or do the coaches stick with the status quo and get Gordon in when they can, but risk having him become disengaged with the team and uninterested when he returns – the way he did in 2014 after his last suspension?

For now, Gordon is saying all the right things.

“Once you get that type of feeling, type of vibe and environment being around happy people, it kind of just rubs off you,” he said. “I’ve missed it. Being back in it, I love it and I try to take full advantage of it.

“This opportunity we have here is nothing that I’ve felt before, seen before and I really want to be a part of it. Everybody feels differently and you feel more enthusiastic about coming to work when guys commit themselves to win.  I really bought into it and I think the rest of the guys have.”

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Today was just the latest step in Gordon’s return to the Browns and the NFL. He still has a long way to go, but at least he is back on the field where he belongs.