Will Manziel, Gordon reunite in ’16?

By MARY KAY CABOT

The Plain Dealer

BEREA

Browns coach Mike Pettine said he’ll welcome Josh Gordon back with open arms if he’s reinstated, and that a reunion between Gordon and Manziel is a positive if Manziel “is on the roster.”

It was the first time Pettine acknowledged that there’s a chance Manziel might not be around.

“That would turn out to be a positive thing if Josh is with us next year and Johnny’s on the roster, that those two have built a rapport together,” said Pettine.

Asked to clarify his remark about the uncertainty of both, he said, “Again, that’s just hypothetical, trying to project it to next year. Those are all questions that will get answered sooner than later. My sole focus is this weekend.”

He acknowledged that the two haven’t always been a good influence on each other in the past.

“We stress to our players and it’s not just Johnny, but all of them, about making it in this business and getting the right people around you,” he said.

“I’m not going to sit here and pile on Josh. His history is documented and we haven’t been able to by league rule have a lot of interaction, but from the feedback that we’ve gotten back, the returns there are very positive.”

Asked if he’d welcome him back into the fold, Pettine said, “Sure, he’s a Cleveland Brown. Absolutely we would.”

He refused, however, to dream about what the passing game might look like next year if Gordon makes it back, and with Terrelle Pryor having a whole offseason with the team at receiver. In addition, tight end Gary Barnidge has signed a contract extension and Travis Benjamin said he’s close to signing his.

A source told cleveland.com that Gordon is doing “outstanding” in his bid to return to the Browns. Pettine also said he’s gotten good reports from the Browns player engagement director, who’s permitted to have contact with Gordon.

In a video released Tuesday on ProAthlete TV, Gordon said the indefinite ban for violating the substance-abuse policy, which was announced Feb. 3, was just what he needed to get himself turned around.