One of the storylines coming into the 49ers before their game against the Detroit Lions Sunday was some talk from general manager John Lynch about the team looking into Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon. The Browns announced they would release Gordon on Monday barring any potential offers for a trade. Gordon is not subject to waivers, so once released he is free to sign with any team.
8-10 teams have called the Browns about Gordon, ESPN’s Josina Anderson reported on Monday morning. She said some of the team were adamant about not wanting it know their organization is calling, but the 49ers are not one of those teams remaining quiet about it. General manager John Lynch told the 49ers beat writers on Sunday that the team was doing their due diligence on Gordon, but not much was said beyond that.
Following the 49ers win over the Lions, Kyle Shanahan was also asked about getting Gordon and had this to say:
“I’m content with our whole team. I love our whole team and the guys that we have. I always feel, since camp ended and we got our 53, we can win with the people we have. But, anytime a player is available, which I don’t know if he is or not. I don’t know what’s happened to do. If he isn’t, I’m not allowed to comment. But, my same answer for always, we will look into every situation to always try to upgrade our team no matter what the case is, but to answer your question, am I happy with what we have, of course I am”
Josh Gordon brings talent, but he also brings some headaches given his suspension history. The other issue beyond the off-field issues is how it could hurt the development of the younger wide receivers. Rookies Richie James and Dante Pettis are both donning uniforms now that Marquise Goodwin is injured and the addition of Gordon hurts their future development. There are only so many mouths to feed with the wide receiver group. There’s no denying that Gordon is a great wide receiver when healthy and his head is clean, but burning a roster spot for him is a huge risk (as seen with the Browns) at the cost of draftees’ future.
Would you want Gordon on the roster?