The NFL trade deadline is a week away and the number of players possibly on the market continues to grow by the day. Josh Gordon might be one of the biggest names out there despite the denial by the Cleveland Browns. The wide receiver is the best player on that team after the trade of Trent Richardson and plenty of teams are interested.
At 22, Gordon is a player on the rise. He continues to churn out productivity on the field despite the poor play at quarterback for the Browns. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that three teams are interested in the second-year receiver and are throwing offers at the Browns in pursuit of landing Gordon. According to the NFL insider, two offers include very high draft picks and a player in return for the wide receiver.
While it seems unlikely the Browns do pull off a trade for Gordon, the list of interested teams could include both the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. The Patriots have been thought to be in the market for a receiver since Danny Amendola has struggled with his health and the remaining receivers are very inexperienced. Pairing Gordon with quarterback Tom Brady could be very productive for New England. However, Bill Belichick almost never gives up draft stock midway through the season.
The Colts are very logical because the team just lost leading receiver Reggie Wayne for the remainder of the season with an ACL tear. T.Y. Hilton is certainly a great asset to the team, but they will need to add one more receiver. Owner Jim Irsay is certainly never opposed to big moves, but after giving up a first round draft pick for Trent Richardson, Gordon may be too expensive for the team. They lack the stock needed to land Gordon, but pairing the young receiver with Andrew Luck would set the team up for years to come.
With all of the rumors surrounding the wide receiver, head coach Rob Chudzinski might be concerned his receiver is a bit distracted. Gordon struggled against the Green Bay Packers, leading many to believe he might be upset with all the talk. Both the receiver and Chudzinski denied the idea.
"I don't think it was an effort thing," Chudzinski said, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "Josh wants to be an elite receiver in this league and those are the types of plays that you have to find a way to make. He went up for it and he tried to body catch it mores than high-pointing it, so there's some technique things that we can work with him on. I've seen him make some great catches before and he's going to make more from here on out."
