Josh Gordon needs to watch his step upon returning to the NFL.
The NFL reinstated Gordon on a conditional basis Monday, meaning the Cleveland Browns wide receiver could return to the field as early as Week 5 after serving a four-game suspension. But Gordon still is “on thin ice” with the Browns, according to Bleacher Report NFL insider Jason Cole.
“Gordon is still on some thin ice with this team because he’s under a new coaching staff led by Hue Jackson, who has already said he’s not going to give Gordon any kind of latitude on this one, and by other sources within the Browns organization who have become weary of all of Gordon’s travails throughout his NFL career,” Cole said.
Gordon was suspended indefinitely in February 2015 after again violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Suspensions have limited Gordon to just five games since the beginning of the 2014 season, but he’s still just 25 years old and full of talent, evidenced by his breakout 2013 campaign in which he caught 87 passes for an NFL-best 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns.
The question — as it’s always been — is whether Gordon can stay out of trouble moving forward.
Thumbnail photo via Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports Images
