The Seattle Seahawks' addition of Josh Gordon did not exactly pan out. On Monday, the talented wide receiver was suspended indefinitely by the NFL for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs and substance abuse.
It was just the latest ban for Gordon, and also the latest sad twist in what has been a nightmarish NFL career.
But now that the Seahawks are down a wideout, will they turn their attention to Antonio Brown?
Seattle kicked the tires on Brown before adding Gordon in early November, but how much it seriously considered signing the embattled receiver is not known.
That begs the question: with Gordon done, should the Seahawks revisit the idea of bringing Brown aboard?
The answer is no, and for multiple reasons.
First of all, it's not like Seattle is losing a whole lot of production in Gordon. In five games with the Seahawks, Gordon logged just seven catches for 139 yards. Before Gordon arrived, the Seahawks' receiving corps was just fine due to the presence of Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf, the latter of whom is a terrific rookie.
Could Seattle use another wideout? Sure, but Russell Wilson has been just fine throwing to Lockett and Metcalf, which is a heck of a one-two punch. Brown would be more of a luxury than a necessity.
Second, linebacker Bobby Wagner recently said that a big reason for the Seahawks' success this season has been their strong locker room.
Why bring Brown into the fold and risk ruining that?
It's not just off-the-field issues with Brown. He also has a history of being a disruptive teammate, so why would you want to take the chance of poisoning your locker room, especially with just two games remaining in the regular season?
Seattle is 11-3 on the year, so clearly, what it has done thus far is working. Wilson is having the best season of his career, the offense is humming as a whole and all of the players seem to like one another.
The Seahawks don't need Brown.
If Seattle “needs” anything, it's on the defensive side of the ball, as the Seahawks rank just 27th in the NFL in yards allowed.
But Brown? Yes, there is a potentially high reward there, but there is also a significant risk.
If this were early in the season, I would be an advocate for Seattle making such a move, but at this point, there is just too much uncertainty involved, and that's not something the Seahawks should want to mess with heading into Week 16.
Perhaps Seattle can talk about possibly adding Brown in the offseason. Heck, even then, it would be a risky proposition, but multiply that risk by 100 right now, and that's how treacherous it would be at this stage with the playoffs just around the corner.
The Seahawks are a very good team and a tight-knit group. They don't need anything ruining that over the final couple of weeks of the season.
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