Wide receiver Josh Gordon has been released off the New England Patriots injured reserve. The former Browns standout is now available once again.
Gordon went on I.R. earlier this month with bone bruises in his knees. It was widely anticipated the Patriots were using the move to effectively dump the wideout and waive him off the injured list once he was healthy enough to pass a physical and latch on with another team.
Could the Browns be that team?
It seems extraordinarily unlikely that Browns GM John Dorsey and the team would place a waiver claim on Gordon (all players released from IR after the trade deadline are subject to waivers). They know Gordon’s history, and his questionable health status, better than anyone.
After years of supporting Gordon through multiple NFL bans for rampant and chronic substance abuse that extended far beyond marijuana, the Browns grew wary of Gordon’s increasingly erratic behavior last season and finally pulled the plug.
He has not been the dynamic downfield threat he was early in his Browns career. Gordon caught 20 passes for 287 yards in six games with the Patriots in 2019, looking sluggish and unable to separate off the line or over the top anymore. Be it the knee issues that led to his I.R. trip or something else, a physically limited Gordon is not worth the risk for the Browns. It probably shouldn’t be for any NFL team.
