With the news that Josh Gordon will be suspended indefinitely, the Cleveland Browns have yet another serious personnel issue on their hands.
Here's the official NFL release on Gordon:
“Josh Gordon of the Cleveland Browns has been suspended without pay for at least one year for violating the NFL Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse. Gordon’s suspension begins immediately."
Key words: "at least," That means Gordon must comply with league rules and guidelines for reinstatement, likely meet with commissioner Roger Goodell to convince the league he's making the proper progress in their eyes — something he clearly hasn't done to date.
And here's what Browns GM Ray Farmer had to say:
“As we have conveyed, we are disappointed to once again be at this point with Josh. Throughout his career we have tried to assist him in getting support like we would with any member of our organization. Unfortunately our efforts have not resonated with him. It is evident that Josh needs to make some substantial strides to live up to the positive culture we are trying to build this football team upon.
"Our hope is that this suspension affords Josh the opportunity to gain some clarity in determining what he wants to accomplish moving forward and if he wants a career in the Nation Football League. We will have no further comment on Josh as he will not be permitted in our facility for the duration of his suspension.”
At this point, you have to figure the Browns have written Gordon off completely.
Not so for Johnny Manziel, who is in treatment now but could be back with the team prior to training camp. That's good news, and it appears Manziel is trying to tackle his personal problem head on. But can the Browns feel good about that right now and assume he'll be accountable?
You almost have to think that the team now must make a big push to keep Brian Hoyer, who is a pending free agent. If the Browns choose not to place the franchise tag on Hoyer, he'll have other suitors; there are at least half a dozen teams who could view him as an upgrade — short term or long — over their current starter. Pure speculation here, but teams that could make strong pushes to sign Hoyer might include the Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills.
The Browns have two first-round picks (courtesy of the Sammy Watkins trade), plus additional selections in the fourth and sixth rounds, so they are well-stocked to bolster their roster. That's the good news. But here's the rub: Can they realistically draft a quarterback in Round 1? Not likely — and this is the wrong year to be seeking QB help in the draft after Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, with what appears to be horrible depth.
Well, what about receiver? It appears to be another stocked class, maybe not quite as terrific as last year's group, but strong nonetheless. But Farmer's public comments about the value of the receiver position and his recent drafting history (not selecting a single receiver in a banner group in 2014) appear to suggest that the Browns going wideout with either the No. 12 or 19 overall pick is far from a sure thing.
Gordon has left the team in a horrible spot. Manziel is a question mark at best at this point. The Browns, who showed some promise in Mike Pettine first season (albeit an up and down one), appear to have taken two big steps backward.
So when do they bounce back? It has been a long rebound since the glory days.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
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