The Kansas City Chiefs first signed WR Josh Gordon to the 53-man roster from the practice squad over two months ago, signaling that he was ready for action.
He’s since played in just over 18% of the Chiefs’ total offensive snaps, with 154 snaps in eight games played with the team. During that span, Gordon has targeted a grand total of six times, resulting in two receptions for 18 yards. The coaching staff has been asked about how they can get him more involved for weeks, even challenging themselves to do a better job of it.
Asked bluntly whether the Chiefs had failed Gordon because of his lack of discernable success on the field, OC Eric Bieniemy shot down the notion, explaining how he’s helped this team succeed in recent weeks.
“I don’t think anyone has failed Josh (Gordon),” Bieniemy said firmly. “Josh has been playing a number of snaps, it’s just unfortunate that the ball hasn’t been going his way. Josh is doing a heck of a job of blocking on the perimeter, you see him actively involved out there on the field. You see, the thing is, we would love for Josh to have the numbers, but for whatever reason, that has not happened. Our faith and belief have not gone anywhere, we still believe in him.”
Beyond what’s seen during games, Bieniemy knows that Gordon is growing within the offense. He sees everything that Gordon brings to the table during practice and in team meetings, knowing that it’s all beneficial to his development.
“Here’s the thing that I love about him,” Bieniemy said of Gordon. “Because this is how I know he’s making the growth that he’s making. It’s the energy that he brings every single day on that practice field or in that classroom. The questions that he’s asking to make sure that he’s doing the right things.”
The team will always look to get Gordon more opportunities to make plays during games, but even if he’s not catching passes, he has become a significant part of the culture the team has created. The same culture enabled this team to rattle off five consecutive wins after their rough start to the season. To that end, Bieniemy feels that Gordon has been a great success story in Kansas City.
“I’ll remind you guys of this, what we do in this building, it’s all about the culture,” Bienimy said. “It’s not about the numbers. Ideally, we would love for everyone to have outstanding numbers. But when it’s all said and done with it’s about the alphabets, are we winning or are we losing. Our guys are finding ways to win games and that’s all that matters. (Josh Gordon) is a part of our culture, he’s a part of who we are. Winning cures everything. To answer your question, no, Josh has been a great success story for us and he’s helping us to achieve the goals that we want to achieve.”
