Cleveland Browns: Moving on from Josh Gordon best for the culture change
By Randy Gurzi
It’s hard to let a talented player go, but the Cleveland Browns made the right call for their future in moving on from troubled receiver Josh Gordon
It wasn’t a healthy relationship between Josh Gordon and the Cleveland Browns. They had a lot of faith in him and as general manager John Dorsey pointed out in his press release, they spent six years fully invested in his future.
Gordon, however, did not share that investment. Time after time, he let them down.
Even after they invested a second-round pick despite his troubles at Baylor. Even after a suspension in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. Hell, even after he finally made it back for five games in 2017 and then wasn’t there with the rest of the team at camp, they supported it and were there for him.
More from Dawg Pound Daily
- How the Browns could maximize Nick Chubb in 2023
- Can Deshaun Watson get to Patrick Mahomes level for Cleveland Browns?
- 3 Cleveland Browns who should see an expanded role in 2023 and 1 who should not
- Is Marcus Davenport on the Browns radar in 2023?
- 5 Free agents from Super Bowl LVII Cleveland Browns should target
They supported him all those years, took all that grief and were rewarded a total of 11 games since 2013. Just 11.
Sure, there are clouds circling around what led to his departure, but it doesn’t matter. The Browns had six years worth of reasons to move on. That means whatever broke the camel’s back wasn’t the reason he isn’t here — it was just the final straw.
The Browns had finally had enough of hoping for Josh Gordon to become the player the believed him to be — and that included being someone they trusted. For years they had this idea of him helping the team and he kept showing glimpses of that, teasing the fans and the front office.
The teases weren’t enough though. The Browns are trying to change the culture here in Cleveland and the only way to do that is to hold people accountable. Any other organization would have given up on Gordon years ago — the Browns were extremely patient. They were patient to a fault.
No one should crucify them here, and if they do they have amnesia about the tenure Gordon had. It hurts now, but the Browns will be better for this. Instead of clinging to the hope Gordon will come in and put a band-aid over their offensive woes, guys now have to step up. They have to be the playmakers.
This is why Dorsey got Jarvis Landry and Antonio Callaway. Gordon wasn’t in his future plans and really he hasn’t been in the fold for years.
Is there a chance Gordon can be great in New England? Absolutely. But good teams don’t worry about that. They make the moves that are right for them.
Dorsey is trying to make this team good and that starts with the culture. That’s what this move was all about and it had to happen. It hurts, but that’s how it feels to rip any band-aid off.
Next. Who is Greg Joseph?. dark
Just think of all the talent on this team that actually is giving their all on the field every day. They’re headed in the right direction and they’re making the moves good teams make — and not all will be popular. We wish Gordon the best and hope this does make Cleveland a better team in the long run.