Cowboys, Browns, Redskins Most Likely Landing Spots for Josh Gordon

In this compressed supplemental-draft season, one of the unintended benefits of the short calendar is that we don't have much time for rumors to change direction or spawn counter rumors.

This practice in April creates smokescreens so thick that we can't see our hands in front of our faces by the time the draft starts in Radio City Music Hall. For the supplemental draft, our most specific speculation has less than 24 hours to exist before the draft confirms or debunks the "word on the street."

That doesn't mean that we won't hear rumors. Three highly respected football insiders, Adam Caplan of the Sideline View, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports and Nolan Nawrocki of Pro Football Weekly, have taken a stab at predicting the destination of top supplemental-draft prospect Josh Gordon. Not surprisingly, their intel is pointing in the same direction.

Caplan puts the Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys in the "teams with probable interest" group atop his attempt to handicap the likelihood of each of the 32 NFL franchises drafting Gordon tomorrow. Washington falls in the second "teams with moderate interest" group because it has good depth at wide receiver.

Nawrocki reports that "the general consensus around the league, however, is that the Cowboys, Browns or Redskins are most likely to take a chance on Gordon early." He also mentions that the 49ers and Vikings have extra mid-round picks to play with in 2013, along with a few more reasons to consider other teams in the mix:

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The Colts, Saints, Eagles, Panthers and Bears also spent considerable time interviewing him and the Bengals and Ravens, with risk-tolerable executives, could be in the running. The Dolphins and Chargers also run offenses that suit Gordon's talents well.

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One of the reasons Nawrocki listed the Cowboys as a likely destination is that he heard the Cowboys have already decided not to offer Dez Bryant a second contract when his rookie contract expires in 2014. Rotoworld draft expert Josh Norris tweeted today that he thinks Gordon will end up with the Cowboys. 

Backing up the possibility of the Browns taking Gordon is the report from Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer that the team might be "strongly considering" Gordon.

La Canfora has the strongest argument for the Redskins. He reports that team sources tell him Gordon's teammate at Baylor, Robert Griffin III, has lobbied the front office and owner Dan Snyder for Gordon. La Canfora also points out that Snyder listens to his players and is willing to sacrifice future picks.

According to La Canfora, the Browns are "high on" Gordon, per a team source, and the time they've spent scouting players like Griffin, 2011 first-round pick Phil Taylor and their target at No. 22 this year, Kendall Wright, gives them great familiarity with the Baylor program. He also puts the Cowboys out there as a possible team for Gordon because "they have been aware of the Houston native for a while," according to sources.

While La Canfora lists 10 teams as "among those interested," according to team and league sources, he only goes into detail about the motivation for the Cowboys, Redskins and Browns to take Gordon.

It's possible that Caplan, Nawrocki and La Canfora are all getting their information from the same source, but the analysis and information passes the smell test. When Josh Gordon's team is announced tomorrow, expect Washington, Cleveland or Dallas to be his new home.