Why Josh Gordon’s stint with Chiefs didn’t pan out
The Tennessee Titans recently added wide receiver Josh Gordon to their practice squad with the team desperately needing help at the position after carrying five wide receivers on their initial 53 and seeing one of them, Racey McMath, be placed on injured reserve.
Gordon was once on a superstar trajectory after leading the NFL in receiving yards in 2013, but several off-the-field issues and suspensions have derailed his once-promising career.
Gordon’s latest chance at redemption came in 2021 when he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. However, despite all the hype of Gordon joining a potent Chiefs offense, the 31-year-old’s time there didn’t pan out.
He managed to secure just five catches for 32 yards and a touchdown in 12 games in 2021. The Chiefs brought Gordon back in 2022, but he was among their 53-man cuts, losing out on the final receiver spot to Justin Watson, a former fifth-round pick who has just 23 catches for 258 yards and two scores in 40 career games.
So, one has to wonder: what went wrong?
According to head coach Andy Reid, it doesn’t seem like much. Reid was very complimentary of Gordon on his way out the door.
“Listen, I’m proud of Josh for all that he did. [It was] a real pleasure to have him here,” Reid said. “There’s a chance that he potentially is back here and if it doesn’t work out somewhere else, but just from a football standpoint but also even the bigger picture of things, he really did a heck of a job.”
Reid’s positive comment about Gordon was the latest in a long line of them throughout the offseason; but if things were so positive with Gordon in Kansas City, why didn’t he stick?
For a better answer on that, we turn to Charles Goldman of Chiefs Wire, who went into detail about what led to Gordon’s exit from Kansas City.
The former 2012 supplemental draft pick by the Cleveland Browns never truly caught on or got comfortable with the offense in Kansas City after joining the team a few games into the 2021 NFL season. By the end of the year, he was a healthy scratch twice and eventually was released and signed to the practice squad.
This offseason proved to be more of the same from Gordon, who struggled with on-field consistency in the midst of strong competition at the Chiefs’ WR position on the roster. He’s been a strong presence in the locker room and the community as Pelissero reports, but the football of it all makes him an odd man out during roster cuts. He’ll finish his time with the Chiefs with just 5 receptions for 32 yards and a touchdown in seven starts and 12 games played.
When I asked Goldman for more information on Gordon, he added “it all boils down to consistency. He was in shape, learned the offensive scheme and got open (often even). He just struggled to catch the ball and make plays when targeted.” Goldman also believes Gordon has something left in the tank.
Based on all that and the fact that he’s failed on several occasions to recapture any semblance of his 2013 form, the Titans and their fans should not be expecting much from Gordon if he sees the field in 2022.
The good news is there is no risk in bringing him in, and clearly the Titans don’t expect much after signing him to the practice squad and not the active roster.
If Gordon turns out to be a serviceable receiver and helps fill out the depth chart at the No. 5 spot or better, great. If he doesn’t pan out, the Titans will simply cut him and move on.
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