On Monday, November 17, Cleveland Browns WR Josh Gordon was reinstated by the NFL and on Sunday, Gordon came back better than ever to help the Browns beat the Falcons in a 26 to 23 victory.
Gordon had eight receptions for 120 yards on Sunday and made one of the biggest plays of the game on the final drive for the Browns. While the Falcons’ defense is unimpressive and ranks last in the league, it looked like they didn’t even think to cover Brown post-suspension.
Back in late August, the wide receiver was suspended from the NFL for a year for violating the league’s substance-abuse and personal conduct policies. However, on September 19, the league shortened the suspension to 10 games.
Last season, Gordon had 87 receptions for 1,646 yards and nine TD so there were high expectations for the 23-year-old this season. Needless to say, a 10 game suspension was a let down for the team who really needed capable receivers this season.
Gordon spoke former teammate Nate Burleson on NFL GameDay Morning, which will air Sunday morning, and said he felt alienated from his teammates during his suspension.
“The lowest point of all this I think was the disassociation from a lot of friends you thought were close or you thought you were kind of cool with really not checking on you, (not) hitting you up anymore, (not) wanting to hang out,” Gordon said via the Akron Beacon Journal.
While Gordon could attend team meetings, he could not go to any practices or games during the preseason and regular season.
Browns HC Mike Pettine said that he didn’t think that other players and staff had any intentions of isolating Gordon or making him feel unwanted. Since Gordon’s return, everything seems to be good in the Browns locker room.
“I know Josh is well liked by his teammates. He’s certainly well-liked by the coaching staff and he’s come a long way,” Pettine said.
With Gordon’s return, the Browns now have offensive weapons in both the run and another viable option for QB Hoyer to throw to. In a tight race for the AFC North, Cleveland is going to need as many key players as possible if they want to win the division.
