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Cleveland Browns teammates hope Josh Gordon 'finds his way' after trade to New England Patriots

Former Cleveland Browns teammates hope Josh Gordon "finds his way" after Monday's trade to the New England Patriots.
Credit: Matt Florjancic, WKYC Digital Sports
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon looks on at a drill during Sunday's practice at the Berea training facility.

BEREA, Ohio -- Josh Gordon struggled to stay on the field during his seven-year tenure with the Cleveland Browns, but the organization stood by him until Saturday, when they announced their intentions to part ways with the one-time All-Pro wide receiver.

And while disappointed Gordon is no longer in a Browns uniform, those he once shared the field with wished him well on the next leg of his NFL journey, which continues after Monday’s trade to the New England Patriots.

“I’m just hoping, for whatever reason, he’s okay with his life or whatever’s going on with him,” running back Duke Johnson Jr. said. “I hope he finds his way.”

Wide receiver Jarvis Landry added, “All I know from the times I spent with Josh, he’s a great person and he loves this game and he wants to play this game, so I wish him all the best, but we’ve got to move forward.”

After sticking by the talented, yet troubled wide receiver through multiple suspensions and off-the-field issues, the Browns reached the breaking point over the weekend when reportedly, Gordon was late to the team facility and showed up with a hamstring injury that took part in a non-team sanctioned event Friday.

The Browns announced their intentions to release Gordon after landing in New Orleans Saturday night for Sunday’s game against the Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Earlier in the day, the Browns announced Gordon was ruled out for the game because of a hamstring injury.

“I mean we get it,” Johnson said. “We get it at the end of the day. Regardless of whether we get it or not, it’s not our call. We’re players. They do everything else.”

Credit: Matt Florjancic, WKYC Digital Sports
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon catches a pass during Wednesday's practice for this weekend's regular-season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland.

A second-round pick of the Browns in the 2012 NFL Supplemental Draft, Gordon turned 180 catches into 3,106 yards and 16 touchdowns. A Pro Bowl player in 2013, Gordon set a franchise record with an NFL-best 1,646 yards on 87 receptions with nine of those catches going for touchdowns after missing the first two games of the season because of a suspension.

However, after that Pro Bowl season, Gordon was suspended for 44 consecutive games dating back to the final week of the 2014 season, which was a team ban for reportedly missing a walk-through prior to a trip to Baltimore to play the Ravens.

Gordon has been suspended for a total of 56 games in his seven NFL seasons, 55 of which were league bans for positive drug and alcohol tests.

Credit: Matt Florjancic, WKYC Digital Sports
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon hustles through a drill during Monday's practice as the team prepares for the 2018 regular-season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which will be played at FirstEnergy Stadium Sunday.

Despite his past issues, Gordon was welcomed back by the Browns late last season.

The Browns got a glimpse of what a healthy and focused Gordon could do over the last five games of the 2017 season after his return from his latest NFL-mandated suspension, which lasted nearly three full years.

In those five games, Gordon turned 18 catches into 335 yards and one touchdown. Additionally, Gordon was on the receiving end of five passes that went for gains of at least 20 yards and converted 12 first downs.

“I hope he does,” Johnson said of Gordon’s potential to succeed with New England.

“I really hope he does. Anybody I’ve dealt with, anybody I’m around that’s a good person and a good dude, I want him to do well. We play Isaiah Crowell this week. He’s a guy I root for every week. Not this week, but once we stop playing them or once this game is over, I root for him every week ‘cause I like to see good guys do well.”

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