Browns plan to hold wide receiver Josh Gordon accountable

The Browns heard what they needed to from reinstated receiver Josh Gordon to feel comfortable bringing him back after more than a year away on a drug suspension.

Gordon was reinstated by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday after being indefinitely suspended February 3, 2015, following several failed drug tests. Gordon is suspended for the first four games this season, but he’s being permitted to interact with the team during the ban – his fourth suspension in four seasons. Brown said Gordon “wants to make the most of this opportunity and he knows his situation”.

And according to Hue Jackson, he “definitely” plans to have the starter in place before the first preseason game, according to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot.

Gordon, 25, reported to camp Tuesday with a quadriceps injury, which he suffered while working out on his own this summer, and the Browns expect him to miss at least a couple of weeks before being cleared to practice. “I think if a player wants to change, you have to create an environment for him to change. That’s why we’re sitting here today with him on our football team”. “We understand the league has expectations for him and we do too, and we shared those with him”, Jackson said.

The Browns have been urged by many to release the running back, but as of Thursday, that doesn’t seem to be in the cards.

“I think there’s a different culture here”, he said. The league said once Gordon meets clinical requirements, he will be allowed to participate in all preseason activities, including practices and games.

“We do think it’s healthier for Josh to be within a structure and appreciated that facet of his terms of reinstatement”, Brown said. “I know who Josh Gordon is as a football player”. Despite being suspended for the first two games, he led the league with 1,646 receiving yards and added 87 catches and nine touchdowns as he was named All-Pro.

“You better believe I did”, he said.

“I have a great support staff here, moreso than I’ve ever felt before”, Gordon said, via the Akron Beacon-Journal. “And one thing I will preach to our football team is truly about the next man up, the next guy that’s gotta go has to go get it done”. “So we’ve afforded him the opportunity to be here and see if coaching is for him”.