Josh Gordon Expected To Be Traded Monday, But Don't Expect Him To Land In New England
By Matthew Geagan, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Cleveland Browns are done with Josh Gordon, and are expected to trade the troubled wide receiver on Monday.
Despite their issues at receiver, this is one the Patriots should stay far, far away from.
Even with all of Gordon's issues with staying on the field -- and a number of issues off the field as well -- the Browns will reportedly have no shortage of suitors for their former playmaker. According to ESPN, at least 8-10 teams have inquired about a Gordon trade. NFL Media's Ian Rapoport is reporting that a Gordon trade will happen by 4 p.m. on Monday.
Could one of those teams be the receiver-strapped Patriots? One oddsmaker has them among the favorites to land Gordon, along with the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers.
There's no doubt that the 27-year-old Gordon once had worlds of talent when he's on the field. It was on full display in 2013 when he hauled in nine touchdowns and led the NFL with 1,646 receiving yards in 14 games. Gordon was great that season, but the giant emphasis there is on the word was. He's struggled to actually take the field since that All Pro campaign, playing in just 11 of a possible 65 games over the last six years (he's played in just three seasons since 2013, including a quick appearance in Week 1 this season). Drug problems have derailed his once promising career, and now not even the lowly Browns want him around.
Should the Patriots take a chance on Gordon? It doesn't sound like they'll get one, with the Browns reportedly adamant about not trading him within the AFC. But even if they could, Gordon is not a player they should expect to solve their wide receiver woes at the moment. He's barely played over the last five years, and the New England offense is not a system a player can just jump into. They already have a reclamation project from Cleveland in Corey Coleman, and with Kenny Britt reportedly coming to Foxboro for a workout on Monday, it appears the Patriots are looking elsewhere for help on their receiver depth chart.
The Patriots may not have a great -- heck, even a pretty good -- collection of receivers without Julian Edelman in the mix, but Gordon would not be the answer.
