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Former Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon had a message for the current Cleveland Browns roster when he was a guest on the BetJack Ohio podcast — he thinks the team is AFC Championship material.
Josh Gordon Said ‘Top to Bottom,’ The Current Browns Roster Is the Best Since He Was Drafted
On the BetJack Ohio podcast, hosts Grant Puskar and Phil Taylor asked Gordon, who is currently playing for the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons, what he thinks of the Cleveland Browns.
“What do you think of the Cleveland Browns right now? They’re in ‘win now’ mode for sure, but with the pieces they put together, what do you think?” asked Puskar.
Gordon replied by saying that since he was drafted in 2012, he thinks this is the best roster “top to bottom” that the team has had.
“I got drafted in 2012. This looks like the closest roster, top to bottom, that is gonna put the Browns in the AFC championship,” said Gordon.
He went on to say that the Browns have “always had a defense,” but now they have an offense to go with it.
“I mean, they’ve always had a defense, now they just got a consistent defense, you know? You know what you getting now with these guys. You keep [defensive end Myles Garrett] healthy, things like that. And then on offense, I mean, you got what you want at quarterback now [with Deshaun Watson]. I mean, all the personal stuff aside, that’s up to you, but we talking about football — hey, you got your squad there. I’m a big fan of [wide receiver] Donovan Peoples-Jones, I’ve been watching him since [he played for] Michigan. He’s an electric, dynamic player, returning kicks, I’m like, ‘That’s what they needed.'”
Gordon also quipped, “Hey, who knows, they might give me a call, man, after the [XFL] season, man!”
Indeed, that remark led into a question about Gordon returning to the Browns if general manager Andrew Berry and owner Jimmy Haslam called him up, and Gordon said unequivocally yes, he would love to return to the Browns.
The Browns haven’t been to the AFC Championship since 1989 and they’ve never been to a Super Bowl. In 2020, they made the playoffs and advanced to the divisional round where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Josh Gordon Also Had Praise For Phil Taylor
Host Phil Taylor is a former NFL player himself — he and Gordon played together for the Browns from 2012 to 2014. Taylor was a nose tackle for the Browns and one season for the Washington Commanders in 2017.
Gordon said that guys like Taylor and a few other linemen for the Browns are the ones who taught him how to put in the work day in and day out.
“Guys like Phil taught me how to work hard. Guys like [offensive tackle] Joe Haeg, guys like [offensive lineman] Joe Thomas, they taught me the ins and outs, so that’s really, those were my golden moments, if you ask me,” said Gordon.
Taylor added, “You know I was excited man [when we drafted you],” going on to say that he loves to tell the story of when he first met Gordon at Baylor.
“I always tell the story people were like, ‘He’s a big receiver,’ and I’m like, ‘But y’all don’t know, like Josh ain’t grown. Josh was that size when I met him at Baylor, the first time he came in there, tatted up and everything.’ I said, ‘Where y’all get this grown man from?’ Like, for real. First day of practice out there, up top, everybody gettin’ it,” said Taylor with a laugh.
Host Puskar added, “I think what took people off guard too, Josh, like Phil said, how big you are, but he was quick! He could move!”
Gordon certainly is tall for a wide receiver. He’s listed at 6’3″, whereas the average height for a wide receiver in the last two decades is between 6’0″ and 6’1″, according to Football Perspective. And for his height, he is fast. At the supplemental draft pro day in 2012, his 40-yard dash time was 4.52 seconds; only four wide receivers over 6’2″ ran faster 40s at the NFL combine that year, according to 247 Sports.
Maybe the Cleveland Browns should give him a call. He said in a 2021 interview with ESPN’s Adam Schefter that he’s keeping himself in elite level shape in the hopes of returning to the NFL someday. He also said that he has gotten sober and is trying to demonstrate that he has changed his off-the-field behavior as well.
“It’s about finding good people. It’s about practicing care for yourself and for other people and really showing who you are and allow yourself to be seen away from the football field, off the football field, and really kind of living up to a certain standard of life to know that it’s bigger than the game,” said Gordon.
He added, “I learned at a certain point in time to cut out a lot of BS in my life. You’re getting a guy that’s focused … and most importantly, you’d be getting a great wide receiver.”
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