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A little over a week ago, we talked about the latest rumor that surfaced regarding WR Josh Gordon, when Jason Cole of Bleacher Report noted that the suspended receiver could be re-instated in late September.
This past Friday, some more substance to that rumor came about. Considering roster cutdowns were upon us, I held off on another post with Gordon until the big weekend was out of the way. The latest news comes via a member of the Orange & Brown Report forums. Some may wonder how this “fan’s” word should hold any weight, but typically, if a community didn’t believe in a poster’s credibility right away, they’d dismiss it. For example — if Ezweav heard a legitimate Browns rumor from a player, it might not gain a ton of traction, but we’d believe him because of his history with the site.
Anyway, the user on the OBR, Pfeiler24, said that he talked with Gordon and that he is hoping he is “re-instated for the Colts game on September 24th.” If he were actually to be re-instated for that game, that means the re-instatement would come earlier in the week, which aligns with the timeline that Cole mentioned in his report. Here is more from Pfeiler24’s account of his discussion with Gordon:
“He said he is in the best shape of his career (hard to believe) and is fully dedicated to football like he never was in the past (probably because he is broke).
We talked for a while and he seemed serious. I told him I was going to tell my brother about our conversation because he is just as big a Brown's fan as me. He said, ‘That's fine. I want people to know that I am working hard to get back in the league. I'm in great shape and ready to play and I have been told I will be reinstated for the Colts game. I hope the Brown's will let me play, I'm ready.’”
If Gordon returns, the front office would have to make a decision on whether to include him as part of this team, or to trade him to the highest bidder. I personally love the prospect of still “hoping” Gordon pans out for Cleveland, but with all of the missteps, I could not emotionally be upset with the front office if they went another direction.