Denver Broncos: 5 reasons the team should sign Josh Gordon

The Denver Broncos should sign wide receiver Josh Gordon now that he’s been reinstated. Here are a handful of reasons why they should take the risk.

The Denver Broncos should sign Josh Gordon. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.

Josh Gordon has been suspended five times since he came into the NFL and has missed time for injuries as well, but he’s not done with the NFL and at the age of 30, the NFL would be foolish to be done with him.

Gordon is incredibly gifted with a combination of size, speed, explosiveness, and he’s got a natural playmaking ability.

Of course, consistency has been hard to come by in Gordon’s career, and most of that is on him regardless of where you land in terms of the NFL’s policy against marijuana.

As of now, it appears that the NFL has decided Gordon is worthy to come back into the league, and the Denver Broncos should be making a call to his agent to get him in the fold.

Before you dismiss the idea, let me take a moment to try and convince you. Here are five reasons this move would make sense for Denver.

Denver Broncos: 5 reasons the team should sign Josh Gordon

1. Jerry Jeudy’s injury

In order for the Denver Broncos to consider signing a player like Josh Gordon, there has to be an actual reason to do it other than just doing Gordon a favor, right?

The Denver Broncos have a pretty good reason with Jerry Jeudy on the mend with an ankle injury that could keep him out up to eight weeks.

The Broncos are obviously very fortunate that Jeudy won’t miss the entire season at this point, and they certainly have a lot of receivers already on the roster between the active roster and 16-player practice squad (nine receivers in total), but Josh Gordon — if he’s fully healthy — is an upgrade on offense over just about all of them.

Not having Jeudy means the Denver Broncos are one Courtland Sutton knee tweak away from being in some serious trouble at receiver, or one Tim Patrick hamstring tweak, or one KJ Hamler hamstring tweak.

The active roster consists of only four true receivers with Diontae Spencer essentially as a fourth specialist.

With Jeudy out for the time being, an option like Gordon would be a lot of fun in the interim and nice depth beyond that.

Denver Broncos: 5 reasons the team should sign Josh Gordon

2. Josh Gordon & Pat Shurmur connection 

Anytime you’re talking about prospective free agents and team fits, you have to look at the player’s past history and coaches he has previously worked with.

It just so happens that the Cleveland Browns drafted Josh Gordon in the second round of the 2012 Supplemental Draft when Pat Shurmur was the team’s head coach.

Gordon played all 16 games his rookie season and finished with 50 receptions on 96 targets for 805 yards and five touchdowns.

He would go on to have an All-Pro and Pro Bowl season in 2013 for the Browns, though Shurmur was gone by that point.

Despite the fact that they’ve only had one season together, there is a connection there between these two guys and Shurmur would certainly be able to vouch for Gordon one way or the other.

It’s hard to say, almost a decade later, that it would really matter that Gordon has played in Shurmur’s offense. In fact, that would be a stretch. Shurmur’s offense is undoubtedly different now than it was back in 2012, but the key here is familiarity with the person, not the offensive scheme.

Josh Gordon could come in and run routes and make plays after the catch, that’s not the problem. Having a personal connection already on the Broncos’ staff is a help.

Denver Broncos: 5 reasons the team should sign Josh Gordon

3. The Broncos have the right QB and locker room infrastructure

Any time a team is considering signing a player with some off-field history or baggage, you have to make sure you have the right coaching staff, locker room culture, roster infrastructure, and leadership at the quarterback position.

The Denver Broncos currently have all of that.

Vic Fangio has effectively built the kind of locker room culture he wanted when he was hired back in 2019.

The Denver Broncos have slowly shifted their NFL Draft philosophy to have a roster full of former college team captains and high-character players.

Players on the Denver Broncos’ roster have really rallied around Teddy Bridgewater as a leader.

Speaking of Teddy, there was once a time when Josh Gordon really wanted to play with him…

In all seriousness, the Denver Broncos have all of the right pieces to add a player like Gordon to the team and not have it be a huge media issue or whatever it is people are worried about with signing a player like him.

Zach Azzanni is also one of the best wide receiver coaches in the NFL, and it would be fascinating to see what Gordon could do working together with him and the rest of the group the Broncos have.

Denver Broncos: 5 reasons the team should sign Josh Gordon

4. How bad do you want to make the playoffs?

Side note — who knew that Josh Gordon played in the Fan Controlled Football League?

To no one’s surprise, he was dominant.

At any rate, that’s not what this particular point is about.

The point is, and I’ve brought this up on previous occasions, are the Denver Broncos serious about making the playoffs in 2021?

Not that adding Josh Gordon is the only sure sign that the answer to that question is yes, but it would certainly represent George Paton being a bit more aggressive than we have seen.

With some of the injuries the Denver Broncos have been taking on over the course of the last few weeks, we’ve been suggesting bigger-name additions like Jamie Collins and Benardrick McKinney.

George Paton seems more interested in under-the-radar pickups, some NFL roster deep cuts, if you will.

He’s signed the likes of Micah Kiser and Aaron Patrick while promoting players like Kendall Hinton to the active roster.

Inherently, there’s nothing wrong with that.

In this particular instance, however, Gordon has been good enough in big or small sample sizes to be a difference-maker on a potential playoff team.

If you’re serious about making the playoffs, this is a guy that can help you get there.

Denver Broncos: 5 reasons the team should sign Josh Gordon

5. There is virtually no risk attached

Because the NFL has expanded practice squads to 16 players and now allows up to six veterans on the practice squad, what’s the worst thing that could happen here?

Obviously, the worst thing that could happen is you sign Gordon to a veteran minimum deal or practice squad contract and he ends up getting suspended.

Who cares?

Obviously, nobody wants that for Gordon personally, but in the grand scheme of things for a team like the Denver Broncos, what difference would it really make?

The risk is almost non-existent for this type of player. You’re talking about paying him a very small amount of money in the NFL world for a potentially massive return.

He doesn’t need to steal snaps from anybody — every team needs a healthy rotation at every position. He isn’t going to break the bank. He’s going to be motivated to make contributions.

The positives with signing a player like Gordon and having it actually work out in your favor far outweigh the negatives, especially when you consider the expanded rosters.

For the price and potential here, signing Josh Gordon is a no-brainer for any team, including the Denver Broncos.

Denver Broncos: 5 reasons the team should sign Josh Gordon

Final Notes

The Denver Broncos have the available cap space to make this move happen.

They have an injury to one of their top playmakers (Jerry Jeudy) at the same position.

They have a coaching connection in Pat Shurmur.

They have the roster infrastructure and leadership at the QB position.

There is virtually no risk.

Furthermore, the Denver Broncos have proven up to this point that they are willing to spend roster spots in ways that don’t really make sense.

Cam Fleming is still on the roster and contributing nothing.

Andrew Beck was kept primarily for his special teams ability, but he has yet to see the field in two weeks.

The Broncos claimed Nate McCrary when they set their initial roster and just recently cut him in favor of Damarea Crockett. What was that waiver claim all about?

Josh Gordon could actually come in and contribute to the team right away. He has proven himself before, like I said, on a number of teams in a variety of offensive schemes and in a wide range of sample sizes.

Denver Broncos: 5 players that need to step up big vs. the Jets

The Denver Broncos have a golden opportunity to start the 2021 season with a 3-0 record. Here are 5 players that need to step up big vs. the Jets.

Ultimately, the Denver Broncos may not be the team that signs Josh Gordon, but I can certainly make it make sense.