It will not take long for Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Todd Haley to square off against his old team, as Cleveland faces the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2018 NFL season opener. He is hoping that wide receiver Josh Gordon will play a major role in enacting some revenge on his old franchise.
Head coach Hue Jackson has already indicated that Gordon will not start in Week 1. However, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, Haley is hoping he can still remain an integral part of the offense:
Browns OC Todd Haley said he hopes Josh Gordon is involved a lot Sunday. “He obviously is a big-time talent. As I told him, ‘We've been waiting on you.' It's time.”
Haley's optimism is certainly understandable. When active, Gordon is one of the most talented wideouts in the league. Although he may not be starting, that does not mean his role will be diminished after that first snap is 0ut of the way.
Haley is not the only coach on staff hoping for a strong comeback from Gordon. Jackson has expressed his high hopes for their matchup against the Steelers for quite some time now. That said, it would be unusual for Jackson to hold out a player of Gordon's caliber against a team like Pittsburgh for too long.
The Browns have already made it clear they will be relying on wide receiver Jarvis Landry as their No. 1 option. As talented as Landry is, he does not bring the same qualities to the table as Gordon. Regardless, having two bonafide options on both sides of the field will only speed up the progress of this offense in 2018.
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