Cleveland Browns Should Consider Cutting Josh Gordon

By Casey Drottar @cdrottar19 on December 27, 2014

The Cleveland Browns look to finish an uneven season tomorrow as they take on the Baltimore Ravens. They’ll do so knowing they’ve already been eliminated from playoff contention. They’ll do so without either veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer or flashy rookie Johnny Manziel. They’ll do so with third stringer Connor Shaw taking his first non-preseason snaps.

And, as of this afternoon, they’ll be playing tomorrow without wideout Josh Gordon.

Gordon, who didn’t make his season debut until Week 12 due to another run-in with NFL drug policies, was once again suspended today. This time, it was team-issued, as the Browns benched Gordon due to his missing a walkthrough on Saturday morning to prepare for Sunday’s game.

Gordon’s season is officially over, and he has only five appearances to show for it. He finished with just 303 yards receiving, and zero touchdowns. That this occurred one year after he set league records in just 14 games makes it all the more disappointing.

The star receiver has been in the league for three years now, and has yet to go through an entire season without running into trouble. Thanks to his multiple issues with drug suspensions, he faces a one-year banishment if he gets caught again. Getting a chance to prove his worth to Cleveland upon returning from his most recent suspension, he put forth minimal effort.

It’s because of these aforementioned red flags the Browns need to think about something which, at surface level, sounds insane: Cleveland needs to consider cutting Gordon.

Again, it certainly comes off like a terrible idea in terms of looking at it from a purely football perspective. The Browns, who’ve had a lifeless offense for so long now, should sever ties with a player who obliterated NFL records last year? Who possesses a level of talent so frightening that, when he’s on, he’s literally impossible to cover?

Sure, it seems like a stupid idea. And yet, the front office still seriously needs to decide if Gordon is someone worth hanging on to.

Just look at the past calendar year in terms of what Cleveland’s had to deal with. Gordon missed the first two games of the 2013 season due to failing a drug test. The Browns debated trading him before he returned, but at the end of the day, nothing came to fruition.

After putting forth an unreal season, Gordon again found himself in trouble, failing yet another test. However, given an opportunity to wash their hands of someone who clearly didn’t seem to get it, Cleveland decided not to rid themselves of Gordon. They stuck by him, noting how cutting a troubled player was no way to handle the situation. Gordon raved about how grateful he was for yet another second chance, claiming he was going to pick up where he left off upon returning from his suspension.

Instead of Cleveland being rewarded for not giving up on Gordon, though, they instead got something else entirely. What they received was a player who showed absolutely miserable body language, who ran the wrong routes and who, to be frank, spent most of his five games loafing around on the field. Top it all off with Gordon skipping out on today’s walkthrough, and you don’t exactly get the feeling he’s extremely grateful for the chances Cleveland gave him.

Yes, when Gordon is on his game, he’s a nightmare for opposing defenses. However, there’s been no evidence of this in his brief 2014 season. In fact, you could certainly make the argument the Browns’ offense was better before Gordon returned. Something like this, a team regressing after one of their best players returns to the field, shouldn’t even be possible. Yet, this is exactly what happened to Cleveland. Their late-season slump is not entirely on Gordon, but he certainly hasn’t done one thing to make it better.

It’s because of this the Browns need to determine whether or not Gordon is worth the trouble. Right now, it sure looks like Cleveland would be better off cutting their losses.

When a player goes through the issues Gordon’s dealt with off the field, and continues to receive support from his team regardless, wouldn’t you think he would give everything and beyond to try and compensate them for this dedication? The Browns could’ve given up on Gordon easily. They could’ve decided he simply wasn’t someone they needed to deal with, that the easiest thing to do was send him packing and move on.

But they didn’t. They knew the talent Gordon possessed, and they continued to keep their faith that one day he’d finally get with the program.

Said day hasn’t come. And, based on this afternoon’s developments, it won’t be here any time soon.

Because of this, Cleveland has a big decision to make this offseason. He’s under contract next year, but cutting him would hardly be a significant cap hit thanks to his still being on a rookie deal. When it comes down to it, there will be many factors which will go into whether or not the team decides to keep Gordon, but money likely won’t have a big hand in the decision.

What the team needs to consider is whether or not keeping Gordon is worth the headaches. They need to determine if Gordon’s talent is enough to make them want to deal with everything else which comes with him. Are potential game-breaking touchdowns enough of a reason to keep him around, even though there’s a good chance he shows up on some Sundays with the same “effort is optional” mentality he appears to have brought with him the past few weeks? Is retaining someone as talented as Gordon necessary despite the fact Cleveland is one failed test away from losing him for a full year?

Earlier this season, the answer might very well have been yes. At least, it appeared this way for Cleveland, thanks to their continued attempts to try and get through to Gordon.

Things have changed now. The man the Browns went to bat for over and over again appears indifferent on the field. He doesn’t finish the majority of his routes. And he was just suspended for skipping a mandatory team walkthrough.

At the end of the day, if Gordon’s not going to change his attitude off the field, there’s no point in the Browns keeping him on it.

Casey Drottar is a Featured Columnist for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter or “Like” him on Facebook