BEREA, Ohio -- Hope springs eternal, especially when it comes to Cleveland sports.
It has been a long time since wide receiver Josh Gordon participated in the offseason program, but after years of being suspended by the National Football League because of failed drug and alcohol tests, the veteran pass catcher is making the most of his opportunity with the team.
“It’s a huge upside as far as like offensive side of things goes,” Gordon said. “You’ve got that much more experience and time with the quarterback relationship and rhythm and the players, the continuity just all around. Building that, that’s something that can’t be fabricated and can’t be rushed.
“The time that we’re here, even the time that we’re outside of here, I try to spend as much time with the guys as possible, and they seem to want the same things, and I think that just breeds a culture of people that want to win and are willing to do anything to win. So with this time given, I think I’ve been able to just try to make the most of this period.”
PHOTOS: Cleveland Browns see confidence, competitiveness from Josh Gordon during OTAs
The Browns got a glimpse of what a healthy and focused Gordon could do over the last five games of the 2017 season after his return from an NFL-mandated suspension that lasted nearly three full seasons.
In those five games back after the suspensions, Gordon turned 18 catches into 335 yards and one touchdown. Additionally, Gordon was on the receiving end of five passes that went for gains of at least 20 yards and converted 12 first downs.
Against the Browns’ chief rival within the AFC North Division, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Gordon showed speed and agility when he helped set up a touchdown, which trimmed the deficit down to seven points, 14-7, with 11:46 to play in the first half.
On second-and-three from the Cleveland 44-yard line, quarterback DeShone Kizer dropped back, stood strong in the pocket and muscled a pass down the right sideline for Gordon.
After securing the catch at the 15-yard line behind the coverage of two Steelers, Gordon hustled his way down the field, where it was originally ruled that he scored a touchdown. However, following a review, the officials ruled Gordon stepped out of bounds at the two-yard line.
“Much better, I feel,” Gordon said of where he feels now over last December. “What this time did for me was definitely help me get into football shape and really build your wind up to run that many reps, and then, know what to expect going into training camp as opposed to just going to training camp and getting shocked right away. You kinda know what to do and know how to train, so it’s good to have this build up into that, and it’s definitely useful more than anything.”
With the offseason program to not only get familiar with teammates, but also, used to the play-calling of offensive coordinator Todd Haley, Gordon is excited about what the future holds for the Browns’ offense in 2018.
“It’s very exciting,” Gordon said.
“As a receiver corps, we know we want to do everything we can to try and capitalize on all those opportunities that we know we’ll be given, so we need to be in the right place at the right time to make sure that that happens.”