Likely too high for a team to trade for the receiver who’s been repeatedly suspended.
Advertisement
Well, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported the Browns’ price for Gordon when other teams inquired about him recently was a second-round draft pick and then some.
As for reports that the Browns floated this to drum up trade interest, “again, speculation I’m not going to entertain”.
With the starters on the field, the Browns didn’t rush the passer, didn’t stop the pass, didn’t pass the ball, didn’t protect the quarterback and didn’t tackle on special teams.
The catch is even more impressive when you consider that before Friday, Gordon hadn’t played in an National Football League game since December 2014. The fall from grace has come on the heels of a stellar 2013 season in which Gordon had 87 catches for an NFL-best 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns in 14 games. The touchdown reception came with 1:53 left in the half, when Gordon ran a go route and Griffin threw deep down the right sideline. Browns president Sashi Brown, in fact, said as much on Thursday.
Brown said that a recent report stating that Cleveland was willing to listen to offers “is probably a mischaracterization”.
“In all seriousness, they’ve all been excellent in the classroom and on the field with regards of doing what we’ve asked them to do”, Tabor said. “We’re not looking to trade Josh”. Gordon still has a four-game suspension to serve before he can compete in a meaningful game.
Rookie wide receiver Corey Coleman, the Browns’ first-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, turned 173 catches into 3,009 yards and 33 touchdowns during his three years with the Baylor Bears. Friday was no different.
But Gordon’s struggles staying out of trouble and staying on the field have been well-documented. Seriously. A player who’s missed 27 of the past 32 games due to suspension is being talked up as a leader. Despite his vast talent, the risk would likely be considered too high for another team to meet the Browns’ demands.
“Yeah, we see Josh as a great weapon for our offense, ” he said. “It was good just to get him back out there in the game and playing”.
Advertisement
“Cleveland is a 3-4 defense, and we’re going to see like eight 3-4 teams over the course of the year, so two extra days of working against a 3-4 are huge”, Koetter said during a press conference.
