Browns’ Josh Gordon could be reinstated for good behavior

When the decision on Josh Gordon’s appeal was upheld today it was presumed that the Cleveland Brown wide-receiver would miss an entire year of football. That isn’t or possibly isn’t the case. According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN via Twitter, Gordon’s suspension could be a strictly NFL season long.

Mortensen isn’t saying anything earth shattering here as the release by the NFL today stated that he would be eligible after the NFL season which likely means the NFL calendar year which ends in early March. If Gordon can behave this off-sesaon then it is entirely possible that he could be back with the Browns come March 2015. The question is can he stay clean?

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Gordon has a failed drug test under his belt, his third, and will be seen in court in September for a summer DUI. The NFL rules prohibit a player from having any contact with their team while on suspension but that can also be extremely detrimental to a player who may do well with assistance, such as recovery and rehab. In the case of Gordon a team assistance program to get the talented wide-receiver help could go a long way to keeping him out of trouble. Instead, Gordon is going to face this alone.

With Gordon now finally off the Browns squad, the team will turn to solving the issue of losing their top wide-receiver. It’s likely that the role of tight-end Cameron Jordan will increase and the Browns will most assuredly be watching the free agent waiver list on Saturday night as teams make roster moves to get to the league mandated 53.