The Kansas City Chiefs have brought back wide receiver Josh Gordon to the team’s practice squad after releasing him earlier this week to create a roster spot.
Per NFL reporter Tom Pelissero, Gordon cleared waivers, which meant every other NFL franchise declined the ability to claim him for themselves, which meant Gordon was a free agent. Gordon then chose to re-sign with the Chiefs as they’d obviously extended the offer to join the team’s practice squad.
Earlier this season, the Chiefs signed Gordon after the NFL decided to reinstate him following a year-plus suspension. Expectations were mixed, but no one likely suspected just how little Gordon would end up affecting the team’s offense given the amount of playing time he was also given this season.
Josh Gordon is back with the Chiefs practice squad.
Gordon played in 12 games this season for the Chiefs and even started seven games, but he was targeted only 14 times and caught 5 of those targets for a mere 32 yards and 1 touchdown. Over the last two postseason games, Gordon was left inactive, taking him further from the chances of making any offensive impact.
The flip side of Gordon’s ongoing employment with the Chiefs is that both parties initially stated they were interested in a long-term agreement. Also, it’s not as if the Chiefs were unaware of Gordon’s lack of impact yet they kept playing him anyway, He’d clearly earned the trust of the team’s coaching staff even amid the disappointing statistical results.
Perhaps Gordon is just sticking around as security in case of an injury at wideout for the last couple of games of the year. Then again, maybe the Chiefs will explore a further relationship here and give Gordon a chance to work out for a full offseason with the team with higher hopes for 2022.