Would Bengals add Josh Gordon on waiver wire in effort to gain comp pick?

The New England Patriots parted ways with Josh Gordon, meaning he’s eligible to be claimed on the waiver wire. If he doesn’t get claimed, he’ll be a free agent.

While the general vibes seem to suggest if the Patriots are cutting Gordon, most teams should shy away, the Bengals play by their own set of rules.

And as MMQB’s Albert Breer pointed out, the timing of Gordon’s release means the team grabbing him off the wire could eventually gain a compensatory pick for his departure.

And we all know the Bengals love comp picks.

Cincinnati sits second behind only Miami on the waiver wire order list:

The Patriots held on to Josh Gordon past the trade deadline, subjecting him to waivers. And a reason for doing that was to keep him from contenders.

So why would a non-contender claim him? Bc if he walks as a UFA in March, such a team could get a comp pick for, in essence, free.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) October 31, 2019

 

In essence, if the Bengals never even planned on playing or keeping Gordon, they’d be buying up a comp pick for cheap, per ESPN’s Field Yates:

If a team claims Josh Gordon – who is now healthy enough to play – it would inherit the final nine weeks of his contract in which he is due $1.072M. He's scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in 2020.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) October 31, 2019

There is the unlikely angle where the Bengals add Gordon and try to keep him, of course. But he’s 28 and continues to underachieve and bringing him back on a new deal seems unlikely.

Then again, the Bengals have the unknown with A.J. Green’s future considering they’re still reportedly far apart and he wants cut loose if there isn’t a long-term commitment. The Bengals are also in evaluation mode, trying to see whether Ryan Finley can prevent the team from drafting a top passer in 2020.

So, never say never, right?