Rookie receiver is turning heads
Associated Press
BEREA
Slightly sunburned and plenty relaxed from a summer excursion through the Caribbean with his wife, offensive coordinator Brad Childress returned home to learn the Browns had a new player.
While Childress was chilling, Cleveland selected wide receiver Josh Gordon in the NFL’s supplemental draft.
The name didn’t ring a bell.
“I got off a cruise boat and somebody said, ‘We signed Josh Gordon,’ ” Childress said. “I said, ‘Who’s Josh Gordon?’ Honestly.”
Childress now knows Gordon well.
The rest of the league is quickly finding out about him, too.
With three touchdowns — two on passes over 60 yards — in the past two games, Gordon is becoming the big, play-making wide receiver the Browns have craved for several seasons. At 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, the faster-than-he-looks Gordon has the physical makeup to be a star. It’s up to the 21-year-old rookie, who was asked to leave Baylor after twice testing positive for marijuana, to make it happen.
“He can be tremendous,” Browns tight end Benjamin Watson said. “He can make all the catches. He’s fast. He’s strong. The biggest thing with him or any young player is being consistent and learning how to practice. He can be as good as he wants to be. He just needs to improve on his weaknesses and he doesn’t have many.”
After catching seven passes in his first four games, Gordon has busted out the past two weeks.
He ran past New York’s secondary and hauled in a 62-yard pass against the Giants for his first career touchdown on Oct. 7. He added a 20-yard TD in the fourth quarter. Last week against Cincinnati, Gordon hooked up for a 71-yard score, snagging rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden’s wind-blown throw with one hand before racing to the end zone.
Those big plays have boosted Gordon’s confidence. He was way behind when he joined the Browns because he sat out a full season after transferring from Baylor to Utah.
He’s literally catching on.
“It’s done a great deal just helping me gain confidence,” he said after practice Thursday. “More trust in the offense, the team, the coaches, the quarterback, myself, just being real confident in knowing I can go out there and make plays.”
Gordon nodded and smiled when told Childress didn’t know who he was when the Browns took him in the second round of July’s supplemental draft, forfeiting a second-round pick in next year’s draft to get him.
“I believe it,” Gordon said. “A lot of people really didn’t. But now that I’m here, I definitely want to make a name for myself.”
Gordon’s evolution as a downfield target has given Cleveland’s offense a much-needed shot in the arm.
The Browns’ lack of a deep threat has allowed defenses to cram the line of scrimmage and shut down the run. It’s tough to break off a long gain with 22 players crammed inside a 10-yard box. Gordon, though, brings a speed element and quick-strike potential that teams have to honor, opening the field for the Browns — and expanding Childress’ playbook.