Despite Being Browns' Best Player, Cleveland Must Explore Josh Gordon Trade

In 2013, Cleveland Browns receiver Josh Gordon served a two-game suspension and still ended the year as the NFL's leading receiver. In just 14 games, Gordon caught 87 passes for 1,646 yards. He had nine touchdowns and averaged 18.9 yards per reception.

Despite that stellar performance, Gordon could not stay on the field in 2014. Initially banned from the league for a full year because of a positive drug test, that suspension dropped to 10 games. He was then suspended for the final game of the season for "multiple violations" of team rules. In five games, he caught 24 of 47 passes thrown his way for 303 yards and no touchdowns.

Gordon, now a restricted free agent in 2016 thanks to that final suspension, is at a crossroads. Head coach Mike Pettine said it himself when the season wrapped last month: 

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We want to take care of our own, but at the same time, we're gonna hold our guys accountable. I think everybody recognizes the talent that's there, but this isn't an individual sport. You have to be accountable to your coaching staff, you have to be accountable to your teammates, more importantly. That's the thing that we have to get [right] with Josh. It's not the ability. At some point, you get tired of using the word potential. So this offseason for him puts him squarely at a crossroads for us.

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There is a decision to be made about Gordon in the coming months. For all that he's given the Browns—he's arguably the team's best player, especially where skill positions are concerned—what he's taken from them might weigh more. Gordon, as Pettine said, has a lot of potential, but that potential is for naught when it's taken for granted rather than taken advantage of.

The truth is, for all of Gordon's talent, he's an albatross for a Browns team that is currently on a search for a new offensive coordinator with a quarterback situation Pettine himself called "muddy." He's one more thing to worry about. Making Gordon the centerpiece of the passing game, let alone the offense as a whole, is a risky proposition.

So risky, in fact, that the Browns shouldn't hang their hats on Gordon going forward. Trading him would be wiser than hoping he presents more than potential. 

Year	Tgts.	Rec.	Rec.%	Yds.	TD	YPC	YPG
2012	96	50	64.0%	805	5	16.1	50.3
2013	159	87	54.7%	1,646	9	18.9	117.6
2014	47	24	51.1%	303	0	12.6	60.6
Total	302	161	53.3%	2,754	14	17.1	78.7

Gordon was nearly traded in 2013, even though he was producing for the Browns at a high level. That trade, which would have made Gordon a San Francisco 49er, was shot down by team owner Jimmy Haslam, according to a September 2014 report from CBS Sports' Jason LaCanfora. But Haslam should no longer stand in the way of any potential trade offer that comes up this offseason.

Gordon is not reliable. There's no guarantee he's truly learned enough lessons and is ready to be a hardworking football player not distracted by outside forces. While there's no guarantee he hasn't gotten the message, with so much in flux for the Browns they do not need a major question mark at No. 1 wide receiver.

It's not like Gordon is a star. He had a star-making season in 2013, to be certain, but he was average at best in his rookie 2012 year, as well as in his brief 2014 stint. Who Gordon was during the 2013 season may never resurface again. And the Browns have no reason to waste any more time wondering what Gordon gets up to in the offseason or how he may or may not perform on the field in 2015.

Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

Let Gordon be someone else's headache. Granted, after his most recent suspension and flurry of bad press, the Browns won't be able to get the second-round pick (plus players) that the 49ers reportedly had on the table. But any draft pick they can add in replacement for Gordon retains Gordon's "potential" while allowing them to bring in someone with fewer off-the-field concerns.

With the quarterback position in flux, it's unclear what kind of contribution Gordon can reasonably make for the Browns next season. He certainly did not help out either Brian Hoyer or Johnny Manziel upon returning in 2014. At this point, he's a one-season wonder, and that one season does not weigh more than his off-field transgressions.

For better or worse, the Browns are a team with a perpetual headache, one that is only exacerbated by Gordon. The last thing the Browns need is more uncertainty. Let Gordon be someone else's problem, some other team's risk-reward poster boy.

Gordon's presence does nothing to guarantee Cleveland wins or a playoff berth. He is a luxury, not a necessity. In a more stable organization, he could be worth it. But the Browns need to cut bait and move on with players who will guarantee a return on their investment. At this point, the Browns must seriously entertain any trade offers for Gordon that come their way.