NFL Rumors: Cleveland Browns want second round pick for Josh Gordon
By John Buhler
The Cleveland Browns aren’t actively shopping wide receiver Josh Gordon, but want at least a second-round pick for their talented, but troubled wideout.
Josh Gordon is back with the Cleveland Browns but could it be temporary as the team ponders whether to trade the talented, but troubled receiver?
On Friday’s Good Morning Football on the NFL Network, Mike Garafolo reports the Cleveland Browns aren’t actively shopping their No. 1 wide receiver but want at least a second-round pick in any deal.
Gordon led the NFL with 1,646 receiving yards but has missed 27 of his last 32 NFL games due to violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Gordon has been allowed to play in 2016 and is developing a strong rapport with another former Baylor Bear in new starting quarterback Robert Griffin, III.
From @gmfb, on Browns' trade strategy, what it would've taken to pry Josh Gordon away from them and more: https://t.co/g3Kcq609hR
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 26, 2016
Should Griffin and Gordon play off each other’s strengths, the Browns have the potential to have a surprisingly explosive offense in 2016 under new head coach Hue Jackson. Jackson had great success previously as the arch-rival Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator.
While Cleveland still has a long way to go before being anything close to a championship-caliber football team under Jackson, it may not be in the Browns’ best interest to ship Gordon for anything less than a second round pick.
Yes, there is always the threat that he might end up missing more time for NFL violations, but when he’s on the field, Gordon has top 10 talent at the position. For that reason, it will be hard for any of the other 31 teams to want to give the Browns a second-round pick for a talented, but an unreliable player.
Cleveland will continue to do things differently in the front office with Sashi Brown and Paul DePodesta at the helm. The Browns did a fine job stockpiling picks in the 2016 NFL Draft to help rebuild their football team.
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Going forward, Cleveland is probably going to be a buy-low, sell-high type of enterprise. Nobody is going to agree to trade a second-round pick for Gordon, but the Browns shouldn’t back down from their high asking price this NFL preseason.