It’s quite possible that Josh Gordon is going to be officially listed as a free agent wide receiver very soon. If that’s the case, the Kansas City Chiefs would do very well by convincing him to sign.
According to ESPN reporter Adam Schefter, Gordon is on the verge of being reinstated by the National Football League after completing his requisite programs and counseling to come back from his indefinite suspension levied in 2020. Even then, he was only playing on a conditional reinstatement after violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
When Gordon is reinstated, he should be able to sign with any team he wants—that is, if any franchise wants him or considers him worth the risk. It’s quite possible that Gordon’s playing days are behind him given the number of times the league has opened up the potential for him to play (or return to play) only to see him suspended once again.
So why would the Chiefs go ahead and sign him? Aren’t there more questions than answers? What would this mean, on and off the field, for a team already looking at the Super Bowl?
Let’s dive into the pros and cons and come out the other side with a conclusion.
What Gordon would bring?
If you’re a bit rusty on what Josh Gordon brings to the table, don’t worry. His intermittent record of play has likely caused many fans to forget just how dynamic he can be when locked in as a receiver for any offense.
When Gordon first came into the league with the Cleveland Browns, he was the prototypical WR1, the sort of player with the perfect physical stature at 6’3, 225 lbs. with pro-level athleticism and excellent hands. Specifically, Gordon has the ability to outmuscle anyone for the ball and he’s excellent at going up and getting the catch.
Gordon was an immediate hit in Cleveland despite being taken in the supplemental draft (a rare breakout player) with 800 yards in his first season and a league-leading 1,646 receiving yards the following year. Gordon made the Pro Bowl in 2013 and looked like the league’s next superstar pass catcher. That’s when the issues started, and Gordon would only play 10 games in the next four seasons.
Even after the New England Patriots traded for him for a low-level pick swap in 2018, Gordon once again proved how dangerous he can be for an offense when focused. He averaged 18 yards/catch that season for Bill Belichick while catching 40 passes for 720 yards.
At this point, Gordon is 30 years old and far removed from being the sort of wideout who can carry an offense. However, he still very well could be the sort of top-shelf red zone target and physical receiver who is especially dangerous after the catch.
Fit with the Chiefs
While Gordon isn’t the WR1 he was when he was Cleveland anymore, the reality is that the Chiefs don’t need him to be. Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce proved for the 100th time on Sunday that they are already the most dangerous combo in the game when it comes to offensive weapons, and teams have a difficult enough time trying to account for both of them. There’s zero lifting for any incoming player to do on the Chiefs, and even talented players have a hard time earning targets.
That said, the Chiefs were already interested in replacing Sammy Watkins in free agency this year with a physical receiver and were unable to get Josh Reynolds or T.Y. Hilton or JuJu Smith-Schuster to sign with the team this spring. The Chiefs drafted Cornell Powell, but he’s going to need far more time (and even then it might not work out), which means the perceived roster concern is still there (if Brett Veach still feels that way).
Gordon’s physical profile is ideal for the sort of big X receiver role that Watkins played on offense. Given the growth for Clyde Edwards-Helaire and the improvement of the offensive line, a receiver like this could also find himself open a lot more in the end zone and make life easier in general for the team’s offensive pillars. Remember that the best defenses in football have been able, at times, to slow or even stop the likes of Kelce or Hill, and in those instances, the Chiefs were that much better for having Watkins around (when healthy).
Even more, Gordon would be able to play for a team headed for the postseason for the first time in his career without feeling the pressures of carrying them there. (Gordon was suspended during New England’s postseason run in 2018 and again for Seattle in 2019.) The Chiefs have the ideal locker room to handle any perceived drama or character concerns, and Andy Reid is known for being the sort of coach to get the most out of a “troubled” player.
All of this is, of course, predicated on Gordon being healthy and ready and sober. And there’s a very real chance, given his track record, that the team might not be able to depend on him to be around all that long. But if there’s any chance that Gordon has his act together, he could be the ideal acquisition for Veach. He’s at a position they’ve already reached for and he’s not going to be expensive at all. The issues are there, but the shelves aren’t exactly stocked at this point in the year anyway.
If the planets are aligned correctly, Josh Gordon could be a great pickup for the Chiefs.