Winners, losers and takeaways from Patriots-Browns Trade involving Josh Gordon | Bleacher's report



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    David Richard / Associated Press

    Monday afternoon, Adam Schefter from ESPN confirmed that the New England Patriots have made their 27th deal involving a wide receiver since the start of the new championship year in March.

    This attracted more buzz than the previous 26 combined transactions.

    Per schefter, the Patriots traded a fifth round pick against the Cleveland Browns in exchange for receiver Josh Gordon, with a warning that New England will pick up a last-minute pick from the Browns if Gordon is not active for 10 of 14 games of the regular season of the team.

    What does it all mean, Basil? Let's.

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    Stephen B. Morton / Associated Press

    The choice that the Patriots give the Browns will probably be at the bottom of the fifth round. People who are troubled by this need to realize how seldom the choices of the fifth turn become determinants.

    Yes, the Pats give up an opportunity to land a Richard Sherman or a Tyreek Hill, but they are much more likely to sacrifice a George Bussey, a Clint Oldenburg, a Ryan Claridge, a Hakim Akbar or a Dave Stachelski.

    You do not know any of these guys? They are all fifth round picks from New England of the Belichick era.

    With Brandin Cooks and Danny Amendola gone and Julian Edelman suspended, the Patriots desperately needed help for the receivers. Now they have a scary 27-year-old athlete with a 1,646-yard season on his resume, and all they had left was the next Clint Oldenburg.

    But what happens if Gordon's demons interfere with his ability to play football? Easy, he earns less than $ 700,000. And if you want to advance in a few weeks, you get a seventh round pick of the Browns.

    Gordon will cost virtually nothing to the Patriots, there is very little risk and he controls, he will control his restricted rights of free agent during the off season.

    The rich have enriched themselves.

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    Butch Dill / Associated Press

    There is no doubt that the Browns' offense is better on paper with Gordon than with a fifth-round pick in 2019, since this fifth-round pick in 2019 is not going to catch any passes this season.

    Clearly, Browns general manager John Dorsey believes the franchise is better without Gordon, who, despite his talent, has been a victim of off-road issues throughout his adult life.

    He was cited for overseas drug possession charges at Baylor in 2010, and the following year he was indefinitely suspended from the program for breaking the rules of the team. At the NFL, he was suspended for two games for breaking the league's drug addiction policy in 2013, he was arrested on suspicion of impaired driving in 2014, he was suspended for 10 other games after having been tested positive for alcohol consumption, he was denied reinstatement after another failed drug test in 2016.

    It's a lot of luggage, and it's amazing that the Browns have held on all that time. They greeted Gordon after missing most of this year's training camp while adapting to "mental health and anxiety" issues, but the last drop came over the weekend.

    According to Mary Kay Cabot, of Cleveland.com, Gordon filed late for the team on Saturday and was "not himself" while he was also complaining about the timing. a hamstring. Schefter reported Gordon suffered this injury "during a promotional session" rather than in a game or practice.

    They will not admit it, but the Browns are probably aware that they are not winning the Super Bowl this season. They lost a talented player on Monday and they had nothing in return. The team is worse on paper now, and it will be harder for quarterback Tyrod Taylor to lead the offensive.

    That said, the relationship between Gordon and the team was probably on course. Both parties needed a fresh start.

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    Jason Miller / Getty Images

    And since no one questions Gordon's talent while practically everyone is questioning his character, Foxborough may be the perfect new setting for him.

    If you can do it, you can do it anywhere. There must not be many teams who believe that Gordon can get there at that time – otherwise, the Browns would have been more than a fifth-round pick for him – but a solid disciplined race of four or five months with New England probably making a world of difference.

    The test for Gordon now focuses on his compatibility with the Pats. Strong performance on the ground would surely increase the demand for his services beyond the 2018 season, but the key for him now is to keep his head down, stay out of trouble and do his job.

    Perhaps Gordon will be motivated by the fact that he is part of a candidate for the first time in his career. Maybe a new frame with legends like Brady and Bill Belichick will work wonders. And maybe the unpretentious environment of the Patriots will help it stay upright.

    Many maybes, but this could be the ideal place for what could be Gordon's last chance to revive his once promising career.

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    Josh Lefkowitz / Getty Images

    This does not mean that Gordon would not have excelled elsewhere, which is why it is rather surprising that other teams in need have failed to outbid the Patriots for his services.

    Schefter reported that the Cowboys, Redskins, 49ers "and others" have discussed with the Browns of a possible trade for Gordon, "but the Patriots intervened and closed their doors".

    Without a long-term guarantee, a salary of $ 697,058 and a possible free agent control after the season, Gordon has a lot more value than a fifth-round pick. And there is a decent chance that Dallas, Washington, San Francisco and maybe even Seattle or the Jets will regret not having fired and offering a fourth round in exchange for a player who could easily become the first target of these lists.

    None of these teams have a healthy star and Gordon has it for him. Why not roll the dice when you have so little to lose?

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    Sean Gardner / Getty Images

    Cleveland's willingness to dump Gordon – the team announced that she was separating from him regardless of commercial conversations – is an indication that the Browns are confident in the rookie choice in the fourth round, Antonio Callaway.

    Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins and Rod Streater – who they signed Monday – are the only non-rookie receivers to stay on Cleveland's active list, and with Gordon on the fritz, it's Callaway who started and played the majority of Sunday's game. The so talented product from Florida arrived with three catches on four targets, including a clutch 47-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

    Callaway finished half burned corner of Saints Ken Crawley on this game. He has the speed and the athletic ability to become something special, and it seems like the Browns are comfortable enough to make it a focal point of the passing game immediately.

    It only remains for him to avoid trouble, which has not always been easy.

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    Steven Senne / Associated Press

    In the same vein, the Patriots made their 28th deal in favor of receiving the year with the release of Corey Coleman, the Browns' first-round pick two years ago, but now looking for his fourth home in the NFL in six. period of the week.

    Cleveland traded Coleman to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a mere seventh round pick in 2020 in August; he was released by the Bills a few weeks later and he spent less than a week on the Bills. New England alignment.

    It's only 24 years old, but the Baylor product could already miss opportunities.

    Meanwhile, the addition of Gordon could have a direct impact on Phillip Dorsett's playing time. The former Indianapolis Colt was Brady's most targeted catcher during the first two weeks of the season, but he's lining up outside and it's there that he will probably use Gordon.

    If Gordon delivers, there might not be much room for Dorsett when Edelman returns from suspension, especially with Chris Hogan in the niche.

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    Tom Szczerbowski / Getty Images

    Gordon could shoot a Randy Moss in New England, but the reality is that he will probably not be the best option in this attack, especially when Edelman will be back.

    And so, while it's a great opportunity for him to prove that he has the ability to contribute to a highly functional NFL organization, there's a good chance he's not producing solid numbers. .

    Buyer beware if you think he will save your fantasy football team. The Patriots are very unpredictable as to who gets reps and goals from week to week, and it's possible that Gordon was a better fantasy, say, in Dallas, San Francisco or Seattle.

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    Ron Schwane / Associated Press

    The return says a lot about what the Gordon league thinks

    Albert Breer of the MMQB To believe the return that the Browns "could not find a lot of market" for Gordon, which is a strong indication, the teams have lost all hope of becoming something special.

    It's important to keep in mind that if Gordon was once the first All-Pro team, it was fine in 2013. In the four seasons that have passed since then, the 6 "and 3" and 225 lbs. took only 43 of 92 targets and scored only two touchdowns.

    Browns and Patriots love to do business with each other

    Both franchises have worked together a lot in recent years.

    The Pats acquired Danny Shelton and Jason McCourty from the Browns in two separate transactions in March. They sent veteran linebacker Jamie Collins to Cleveland in exchange for a third-round pick in 2016, they landed Barkevious Mingo Browns and both sides made a big draft milking in 2015.

    Bill Barnwell from ESPN.com tweeted that "Belichick could convince Cleveland to exchange Lucy for Charlie Brown", but the jury is still outside most of these transactions. Time will tell if Belichick got the better of his old team this time.

    It does not "fix" the patriots

    On Sunday, they were beaten by the Jacksonville Jaguars and tight end Rob Gronkowski was not up to it. The problems with New England go well beyond the receiving body, and Belichick knows it.

    "It's a bit of everything," said the head coach about the team's offensive battles against Jacksonville, by Ross Gienieczko of Boston Herald. "It's like that all day, it was not a position, a guy, a thing … it was one thing about this game, one thing about this game."

    If a team makes the most of Gordon, it's probably New England. But even if that happens, the Pats will have work to do.

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