The Josh Gordon saga in Cleveland has finally come to an end. The conclusion to the story somehow feels like the darkest possible timeline for Browns fans. After four years of on again, off again hope about his status with the team following his dazzling 2014 season, they see perhaps the most prolific player to don the orange helmet since the team’s return to Cleveland unceremoniously shipped off.
Having it follow, by far, the most optimistic offseason in regards to Gordon’s truly real mental health and substance abuse issues makes it sting even more. The fact that it comes without a suspension looming is just another twist of the knife. His dazzling touchdown in Week 1 having just served as a reminder of his talent opens once closed scars. The Patriots being on the other end of the transaction is the final blow of sadness.
With that unfortunate tale in the books, we have blunt fantasy implications to examine. Let’s look at how this trade will impact both teams.
For Cleveland, Gordon’s departure will officially leave vacant a starting spot on the wide receiver depth chart. Jarvis Landry was already established as the volume hog of this offense with a 32 percent target market share, eighth-highest among all NFL receivers.
Antonio Callaway and Rashard Higgins will pick up the No. 2 receiver scraps. With Josh Gordon out in Week 2, Callaway out-snapped Higgins 50 to 46. Higgins saw more targets (seven) but Callaway secure the big play. That’s how you should view them going forward. Callaway and his 17-yard average depth of target carry a higher ceiling, while Higgins (8.1) has a higher opportunity floor. Tight end David Njoku also receives a small bump but has only hauled in half of his 14 targets for a paltry 33 yards.
As he moves to New England, all possible impacts of Josh Gordon remain as they have been for the better part of the last five years: theoretical.
If Gordon gets on the field, stays healthy and plays at his best, there’s no question he makes the offense more explosive. He gives the offense a vertical dimension that does not currently exist with their perimeter pass-catchers. There’s no debating that this is the best offense Gordon has played in at the NFL level. Peak Josh Gordon paired with Tom Brady has fireworks written all over it.
Again, that’s all theoretical. There’s almost no point to making bombastic declarations about how Gordon’s stint with the Patriots will unfold. No matter how talented they are, the history of wide receivers changing teams is not all that kind, especially when it happens late in the offseason or even after the games start. Look no further than last year with Sammy Watkins for proof of concept.
If you want to hold Gordon on your roster for the big reveal, be my guest. That makes sense. If you want to ship him off to the highest bidder at the peak of excitement, no one could blame you.
As for the players already on New England’s roster, Gordon’s presence will change things. Again, in theory. Rob Gronkowski is the lone untouchable player as a Hall of Fame talent. He is still the engine of this passing game. When it comes to Chris Hogan, Julian Edelman and the rest of the receivers, don’t let any spin about “created space” or “less defensive attention” could your mind. If Gordon is on the field, he’s going to get volume. That means less to go around for the other receivers. That is only a downgrade.
Josh Gordon’s departure from Cleveland and the Patriots move to acquire him sent shockwaves around the fantasy football world. Going by Gordon’s history, what happens next is anyone’s guess. Let’s hope it includes dazzling us in the New England offense. We should all be rooting for him to thrive, especially away from the gridiron. But we can all admit we’ve been living off hope with Gordon’s NFL career for years now. It’s still all we have.
