NFL Reinstates Josh Gordon

Roger Goodell reinstated Josh Gordon on Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). He can rejoin the Browns on a conditional basis, being now transferred to the commissioner’s exempt list.

A potential Gordon return will be a gradual process, but counter to what’s transpired on this front for most of the past three years, the mercurial wideout has a near-future path back to the field. Gordon can attend meetings immediately while participating in individual workouts. He can begin practicing on November 20, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (on Twitter) before being eligible for activation on November 27.

This would put Gordon in position to be eligible to play from Week 13-17 for the Browns, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The Browns can keep him on the commissioner’s exempt list for another week before deciding whether or not to activate the 26-year-old pass-catcher. Gordon has not played in an NFL game since the 2014 season, but he’s at least on track to be eligible for one come December.

Gordon met with Goodell on Wednesday in New York after being denied reinstatement in May, and the Browns — who have wavered to some degree on the talented but troubled wide receiver — are ready to take him back.

“We’ve been informed of the league’s decision to reinstate Josh,” Browns executive VP Sashi Brown said (via Schefter, on Facebook). “We respect and commend Josh for taking the steps necessary to have the opportunity to return to the league. Josh will be in our building in the coming days and we look forward to having him back and sitting with him to discuss his future on our team.”

Gordon has been suspended indefinitely without pay since September of 2016, when he was set to return to the Browns after a four-game suspension. But a rehab stay instead followed after a relapse, and Gordon’s NFL future was in doubt. He’s been training this offseason with former Olympic sprinter Tim Montgomery in hopes of receiving another chance.

A first-team All-Pro in 2013 after recording one of the greatest receiving seasons in NFL history, Gordon has been plagued by substance abuse. He was suspended for 10 games in 2014 and for the entire 2015 season. A four-game ban last season was set to precede a return for his age-25 campaign, but the relapse scuttled that.

This offseason, Brown said the team is not in a strong enough position to turn away a player like Gordon. Hue Jackson said last season the team was moving on from Gordon but changed his tune to some degree this year. While Gordon’s been dangled in trade rumors, the deadline having passed means the Browns cannot get anything for him until the offseason. This puts the 2012 supplemental draft pick in a position to play for the first time in three years.

The 0-8 Browns may have the worst wideout situation in football, with their Kenny Britt investment working out about as well as the 2015 Dwayne Bowe signing. Corey Coleman remains on IR with a broken hand, and the auxiliary-type talents the team took in the 2016 draft after Coleman have not panned out. Of course, Cleveland has received poor quarterback play.

Gordon, though, recorded nearly 1,700 receiving yards in 2013 despite the likes of Brian Hoyer and Brandon Weeden throwing passes his way.

Due to the many suspensions, Gordon still has two years remaining on his rookie contract. He’s attached to a $1.1MM base salary, which he would only receive a portion of due to the prospective late-season return. What transpires if he returns to the field in December could determine how the Browns proceed with him in the offseason.