Cleveland Browns: 5 Players the season is riding on
By Randy Gurzi
4. Josh Gordon, Wide Receiver
Moving to the offensive side of the ball, the Browns have high hopes. They’ve added some huge names like quarterbacks Tyrod Taylor and Baker Mayfield. There’s also running back Carlos Hyde and behind him rookie Nick Chubb. One of our honorable mentions was also Duke Johnson who could help move the ball as both a receiver and a running back.
As for their other pass catchers, the team has a lot invested in Jarvis Landry. He led the NFL in receptions a season ago and was picked up by Dorsey. After landing in Cleveland, Landry was given a huge extension and figures to get a lot of targets for the Browns.
Another guy who should get the ball a lot is tight end David Njoku, the second-year player out of Miami. However, neither of those guys has the kind of explosion as wideout Josh Gordon.
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After serving nearly three years of suspensions, Gordon returned late last year and showed flashes of his old self. He’s now had an entire offseason of work and looks phenomenal ‚— not only on the field according to teammates but just his physique in general.
Gordon will be huge to the Browns bottom line because of his ability to stretch a defense like no one else on this roster. He showed off how much of a problem he could be for defenses in 2013, his last full season in the NFL. That year, Gordon led the league in yardage with 1,646 yards through the air — averaging 18.9 yards per reception.
If he can play even close to that level in 2018, the team will benefit by seeing every other player get less attention and make the most of their talents.