The Cleveland Browns are entering an important season in the current future of the franchise and the team will have to start off 2013 without one of its best offensive players, as wideout Josh Gordon was suspended for two games for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
Gordon broke out last year after being a supplemental pick and was the biggest deep threat for quarterback Brandon Weeden and the Browns and while two games without pay is not too big a deal on its own, Gordon's past dictates that it could end up much worse if he fails another test. According to ESPN.com, Gordon could end up facing a one-year ban from the league with another failed test and the report also says that this is the second year that the team is dealing with a key player being suspended for drug issues to start the season. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Gordon could be out for a year with his next failed test and that now puts the onus on the Browns to make sure that doesn't happen--and to have a plan in place if it does.
Gordon has shown that he can be an explosive receiver on offense, but after dealing with another drug offense, he is a player the Browns cannot fully count on going down the road. Gordon had a very solid season last year and he was expected to put up even more numbers, but now he will be out for the first two games. The Browns made a move earlier in the offseason after trading for Dolphins wideout Davone Bess and now Greg Little will have the chance to step up as the number two receiver in the offense and he could be the biggest beneficiary of Gordon missing the first stretch. Last season Gordon had 50 catches for 805 yards with five touchdowns and he averages 16 yards per catch and also added a season-long 71 yards reception during the year.
Travis Benjamin and David Nelson will also get more work during the first part of the season and while Gordon should be fine this year once he returns, the Browns know that one slip up now means an entire year lost to a suspension. The Browns are still in a solid financial situation free agent wise after entering this offseason with one of the highest totals of cap space and even after signing Paul Kruger and others, they should be able to add more next year and WR will be a prime target after Gordon's suspension.
The Browns have a new regime in place anyway with owner Jimmy Haslam and head coach Rob Chudzinski and with Gordon's suspension, they will be making sure that the team has fall back options going forward and at just 22-years-old, Gordon still has star potential, but he must be careful off the field now. The team is looking to improve after going 5-11 last season and Gordon was expected to be a big part of that in the second season with QB Brandon Weeden.
