The NFL again reinstated wide receiver Josh Gordon, which begs the question of whether or not the Cleveland Browns should have traded him in 2018
In what has become an annual summer tradition, Josh Gordon has been reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. This time, however, it isn’t the Cleveland Browns who will be wondering how long his services will be available, but instead the defending champion New England Patriots get that honor.
For anyone who needs a refresher, Gordon entered the NFL in 2012 via the supplemental draft after being suspended indefinitely by Baylor for failing drug tests. The electrifying wideout transferred to Utah but never played and then got his shot in the NFL the following year when the Browns used a second-round pick in the supplemental draft to acquire his services.
As a rookie, he played all 16 games and had 805 yards on 50 receptions. Unfortunately for Cleveland fans, that was the only year he played all 16 games as his suspensions began in 2013. That year, he started out with a two-game ban but still led the NFL in receiving yards with 1,646.
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Then, the problems got even worse. Gordon played in just 10 games between 2014 and 2017 as the suspensions continued to mount. Eventually, rumors started to fly that he could finally be ready to make it a full year as he had a quiet 2018 offseason.
But red flags re-emerged s Gordon had to step away before the season. He then managed to play one game before finally upsetting general manager John Dorsey enough to ship him off for a draft pick that would turn into kicker Austin Seibert.
The straw that broke the camel’s back and got Gordon traded was him not being truthful about some promotional videos he was shooting. They also had some fear he wasn’t staying sober as he arrived to a practice late and seemed out of sorts.
In New England, Gordon excelled for 11 games as he had 40 receptions for 720 yards and three touchdowns. Then, in December it was announced he was once again suspended indefinitely.
This seemed to absolve the Browns, who were heavily criticized for the return they got on Gordon. That could change now that he is again allowed to play — especially given the belief that the league is softening up on their anti-marijuana stance.
As for the team that drafted him, it’s hard to answer whether or not they were right to trade the talented receiver away. On the one hand, he showed them time and again he couldn’t be trusted — and there were countless times they would have been justified in washing their hands of him. On the other hand, they waited for years to get him back on the field, showing extreme patience only to finally move on while he was eligible to play.
There’s no going back now, but with Gordon again reinstated, the question of whether or not this trade was the right move again takes center stage. It’s also a tough one to answer.
In my opinion, Cleveland did the right thing moving on from a player who they couldn’t trust to suit up from week to week. Dependability and trust are huge in this league and Gordon showed countless times that he as not someone they could count on. That’s a tough one for the entire organization to deal with as it affects everyone involved in the franchise.
Even so, it’s easy to see why some fans have a completely different feeling. Gordon’s talent is amazing and it feels like it was now pointless to support him for so many years only to change their minds so quickly last year.
It’s also hard to say landing a kicker was worth losing his talent, regardless of any extracurricular activity.