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Josh Gordon

Still a chance for young wideout

Josh Gordon applied for reinstatement to the NFL this week, and by all accounts (well, his agent anyway) he's kept his nose clean over the past 12 months. Will Gordon be in a Browns uniform tearing up the league again next year?

The Browns are noncommittal, which makes sense. "We would sit down with Josh and see where he is," says Sashi Brown, the team's newest decision-maker.

Some will say, Why wouldn't a team like the Browns jump to bring back Gordon? But their equivocation makes sense. They control his rights, and have had no contact with him for the last year. They can't lose him if they want him back, but can't be blamed for not assuming he's got his life straightened out and is ready to commit to the team. Fool me once.

If he has set his personal issues aside and is ready to focus on the NFL, of course, he can be an NFL star again. Gordon himself apparently believes he will be reinstated. He's 24 years old.

Certainly the Browns won't just dismiss what he can bring to their offense. He's played only two entire seasons for them, and yet those two both rank in the top 6 campaigns for all receivers on the team over the past five seasons. Heck, even his 2014 season, when he played in only five games, makes it into the team's top 25 over that span.

TOP CLEVELAND RECEIVING SEASONS, 2011-2015
YearPlayerNoYds TD
2013Josh Gordon 8716469
2015Gary Barnidge 7910439
2015Travis Benjamin 689665
2013Jordan Cameron 809177
2014Andrew Hawkins 638242
2012Josh Gordon 508055
2011Greg Little 617092
2012Greg Little 536474
2014Taylor Gabriel 366211
2014Miles Austin 475682
2015Duke Johnson 615342
2015Brian Hartline 465232
2011Josh Cribbs 415184
2012Ben Watson 495013
2013Greg Little 414652
2014Jordan Cameron 244242
2011Ben Watson 374102
2011Mohamed Massaquoi 313842
2012Trent Richardson 513671
2013Davone Bess 423622
2013Chris Ogbonnaya 483432
2011Evan Moore 343244
2014Travis Benjamin 183143
2014Josh Gordon 243030
2012Travis Benjamin 182982
2015Andrew Hawkins 272760
2011Jordan Norwood 232681
2012Mohamed Massaquoi 172540
2014Jim Dray 172421
2015Taylor Gabriel 282410
2012Jordan Cameron 202261
2012Chris Ogbonnaya 241870
2015Isaiah Crowell 191821
2011Chris Ogbonnaya 231650
2014Gary Barnidge 131560
2013Fozzy Whittaker 211552
2012Jordan Norwood 131370
2011Alex Smith 141311
2011Peyton Hillis 221300
2013Gary Barnidge 131272
2011Montario Hardesty 141220
2015Darius Jennings 141170
2012Josh Cooper 81060
2013Travis Benjamin 51050

--Andy Richardson

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