Newly-signed Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Josh Gordon is set to make his 2021 debut in Week 5. The talented wideout signed with the practice squad prior to Week 4, but has since been promoted to the active roster and is expected to see some action against the Buffalo Bills. At his best, Gordon is one of the most talented wide receivers to ever play the game. However, can Gordon still play to that level, and how will he be used for the remainder of the season?
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Setting Expectations For Josh Gordon With the Kansas City Chiefs
It goes without saying that Josh Gordon will not recapture the 2013 magic in Kansas City. During that fantastic campaign, Gordon recorded 87 receptions for a league-leading 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns. He did all this while playing in just 14 games and catching passes from the underwhelming trio of Brian Hoyer, Brandon Weeden, and Jason Campbell.
Unfortunately, Gordon has never been able to recapture that form, and it’s not very likely he goes back to being an elite player in his age-30 season. In order to really set our standards, we need to see what he did the last time he was seeing regular playing time.
In 2018, Gordon played in 11 games, 10 of which with the New England Patriots. During his time, the receiver proved to be a reliable outside threat for Tom Brady and the eventual Super Bowl champions. While a relapse prevented him from playing in the postseason, New England probably doesn’t secure a bye week without his help in the regular season.
2019, however, proved to be a less inspiring season. Gordon spent the first six games of the season with New England, recording 20 receptions for 287 yards and one touchdown on 36 targets. However, after he suffered an ankle injury, New England decided to part ways with the Utah product and move forward with arguably the worst receiving core in the NFL. He signed with the Seahawks later in the season, but he didn’t do too much of anything with them either.
Obviously, there is only one Patrick Mahomes, but it says a lot that Gordon couldn’t be anything more than a depth receiver while catching passes from Tom Brady and Russell Wilson. While the highlight plays were still there, the down-to-down consistency wasn’t.
Welcome back to the #Seahawks Josh Gordon 🔥 👏🏽 pic.twitter.com/4zs2SzIK8Y
— Sports ON Tap Seattle (@SeattleONTap) September 3, 2020
How Gordon Fits on the Depth Chart
Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill are the stars of the show in Kansas City, but there is a clear need for a third option. DeMarcus Robinson, Byron Pringle, and Mecole Hardman all have their individual strengths, but all three of the aforementioned players have some clear holes in their game.
At this point in his career, it’s highly unlikely that Gordon emerges as a full-time starter in this offense. That being said, he has the chance to still be a valuable situational player. At 6’-3” and 225 pounds, there aren’t many defensive backs physically capable of matching Gordon’s size and strength. Gordon might not be as fast as he used to be, but that size is still there.
Very happy to see Josh Gordon get reinstated to the NFL. He was a lot of fun to watch in New England 🔥🔥pic.twitter.com/aPUsDUNiyu
— Pats Buzz (@PatsBuzz) December 3, 2020
Outside of Kelce, the Chiefs don’t really have a guy that can consistently win in contested situations. Generally speaking, all of the receivers win by getting open, rather than out-muscling defensive backs at the point of attack. There is obviously nothing wrong with this style of play, but it’s hard to get open quickly in red zone and short-yardage situations.
Chances are, Gordon will start off as something of a specialist in short-yardage situations. Mahomes is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the league, and all he needs is a big target capable of overpowering defensive backs. Gordon should be able to do that, and he could gain a bigger role as the season progresses.
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