Five years ago, the NFL got a glimpse of what Browns receiver Josh Gordon can do. This spring, so did new Browns receiver Jarvis Landry.
“The size that he has and his ability to be able to get in and out of cuts, I think that’s one of the most impressive things I’ve recognized and noticed about him,” Landry told Jim Rome on Thursday regarding Gordon, a second-round pick in the 2012 supplemental draft.
So where does Gordon, who missed extensive time due to suspensions under the substance-abuse policy, currently stand?
“The more he continues to hone in on that and grow as far as in route running, listen, the kid’s unstoppable,” Landry said.
In 2013, Gordon generated 1,646 receiving yards in 14 games. Only nine players have ever had more receiving yards in a single NFL season: Calvin Johnson, Jerry Rice, Antonio Brown, Isaac Bruce, Charley Hennigan, Marvin Harrison, Torry Holt, and Herman Moore. Considering that the team’s quarterbacks that season were Brian Hoyer, Jason Campbell, and Brandon Weeden, Gordon could do even better than 117.5 yards per game with Tyrod Taylor and/or Baker Mayfield.
So maybe, just maybe, the 1-31 debacle of the past two years won’t simply fade but quickly disappear. Much of that depends on whether Gordon can continue to remain eligible and available to play.