Josh Gordon landing spots upon exit from Cleveland

Josh Gordon worked hard to clear up his past demons to return to being the wide receiver the Cleveland Browns had hoped for. He finally ran out of chances.

GM John Dorsey proved not to have the same patience as his predecessors. Gordon wasn’t doing enough in his eyes to warrant a further presence on a roster that is trying to rid itself of distractions and fill it with players who are committed to winning football games. Not committed to finding his mental balance after years of drug abuse. One might say it’s surprising it took this long for Cleveland to reach this decision.

Now the question is where will he end up next, and also how? Initial rumors stated that the team planned to cut him by Monday following their game in New Orleans. However, buzz soon began to pick up that several teams were interested in trading for him instead. There’s no question the need for a wide receiver around the league is strong, especially one as talented as Gordon. No doubt a number of coaches think they can handle his persistent issues.

The question is which teams warrant watching the most? Here are three that stick out for various reasons.

Most obvious: New England Patriots

The Patriots are razor thin at the wide receiver position right now. Rob Gronkowski is pretty much their entire passing offense with Chris Hogan and others sprinkled in for seasoning. Tom Brady made that work in week 1 but for an entire season? That’s debatable. So try to imagine if a target like Gordon was thrown into the mix. Presuming Bill Belichick could keep him under control, the rest of the AFC would throw up its hands in frustration. As if this team needs more help.

Dark horse: Jacksonville Jaguars

More from NFL Mocks

Allen Robinson is gone. Allen Hurns is gone. Now Marqis Lee is done for the year with injury. Blake Bortles is quickly finding himself without reliable passing targets. This was made even worse when Leonard Fournette suffered a hamstring ailment of his own. Suddenly the Jaguars offense appears in dire straits. Tom Coughlin usually steers clear of problems like Gordon but this team is in no position to be picky. Gordon could solve a huge problem for them and their locker room leadership should be able to handle him.

Wild card: Cincinnati Bengals

Just think about it for a second. The Bengals have been the new millennium version of the old school Oakland Raiders. The halfway house of the NFL. A team that takes in players with peppered backgrounds, known for being problems and give them a second chance on their team. It’s led to some great success in the past with Cedric Benson and Pacman Jones being some big example. Just imagine them giving Gordon a chance to play across from A.J. Green. That might be the final push this team needs to actually win a playoff game.

Home/NFL Hot Takes