Josh Gordon is on the roster bubble in Kansas City. ESPN’s Adam Teicher writes that “it’s difficult to see a place” for Gordon on the Chiefs roster.
The Chiefs have seen plenty of turnover at wide receiver this offseason, with Tyreek Hill, Byron Pringle, Demarcus Robinson, and Marcus Kemp all out of the picture. The team reworked their depth chart via free agency (JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling) and via the draft (second-round pick Skyy Moore), and that trio of wideouts will make up most of the Chiefs’ WR depth. The Chiefs are also still rostering Mecole Hardman, who is another presumable lock to make the roster.
While the Chiefs will obviously roster more than four receivers, Teicher opines that Gordon’s lack of special teams production makes him a long shot to make the squad. Instead, the Chiefs could pivot to a WR with more versatility. Teicher points to Daurice Fountain as a candidate for that fifth receiver spot, but the Chiefs are also rostering the likes of Corey Coleman, Justin Watson, and Gary Jennings (among others).
“They all bring something different to the table and that’s the unique part about it,” offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy told reporters (via Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star). “I think there’s going to be a lot of diversity because everybody presents something different, so it’s going to be new. It’s going to be exciting.”
Gordon restarted another NFL comeback when he joined the Chiefs last September. He eventually made his way on to the active roster and ended up starting seven of his 12 games with Kansas City, hauling in five receptions for 32 yards and one touchdown. Gordon hasn’t seen time in 16+ games since his rookie year in 2012, and considering his continued suspensions, Gordon seemed like he’d be hard pressed to make Kansas City’s roster in 2022. Of course, many of us thought the same in 2021, and he ended up getting into a dozen games for the Chiefs.
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