Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson says that Josh Gordon will be on a pitch count in their Week 1 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Gordon has been away from the team for a few weeks handling a child support payment dispute with an ex-girlfriend.
While Gordon is one of the most dynamic athletes in the NFL, fourth-round draft pick Antonio Callaway will be the starting wide receiver alongside the former Miami Dolphins receiver Jarvis Landry, via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal:
“I feel 100 percent [healthy] today,” Gordon said, “and I’ll be 100 percent Sunday.”
Gordon has 3,089 receiving yards so far in the four seasons he's taken the field for the Browns, despite only playing 40 games in this stretch. He was drafted in the second round of the 2012 NFL Supplemental Draft and has struggled to stay on the field due to multiple violations of the league's drug policy.
In just his second season, Gordon led the NFL in receiving yards. He appeared in 14 games and recorded 87 receptions and 1,646 receiving yards for nine touchdowns that year. Since then, he has only played in 10 games.
The Browns want to be careful with how to incorporate Gordon into the offense. He has been away from the team for an extended period. His body may not be ready for a heavy workload yet.
“My concern is if we give him too much [playing time], we might be leaving him out there for potential injury,” said Jackson.
The Steelers will probably still be without Le'Veon Bell come Sunday, but they will have Antonio Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster and two hungry backup running backs ready to emerge onto the national scene. This game will be a good test for this reinvented Browns team, who acquired 31 members of its 53-man roster this year. Even though Gordon's reps will be being monitored, his team will look to use him effectively and give him the opportunity to make big plays when they need him.
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