The Chicago Bears should feel under no obligation to make any more bold moves. They already shook the NFL world with their blockbuster trade for Khalil Mack. The roster they have is strong enough to make some noise in the NFC if they can get everybody playing at their best. For a full four quarters of course. So is it really necessary to even discuss a Josh Gordon Bears idea?
Yes. Look, there is no question that the mercurial 26-year old wide receiver comes with a metric ton of baggage. His issues battling marijuana addiction cost him multiple seasons of his career. There’s no guarantee at all that he’ll finally become a steady contributor for any team that ends up getting him after the Cleveland Browns either trade or release him on Monday.
Why should the Bears even bother? They already spent a ton of money and draft capital on the wide receiver position. Bringing him in would seem kind of redundant, right? Not at all. Before dismissing the idea outright it’s always important to remember a fundamental rule of professional sports. Only one team each year is talented enough to win a championship. All the others are not.
So it should be the obligation of the team brass to always seek opportunities to improve.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
From @gmfb Weekend: The #Browns plan to release Josh Gordon after he showed up late, injured his hamstring during a photo shoot, and in general completely lost their trust. pic.twitter.com/cX2HGZPBXi
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 16, 2018
A Josh Gordon Bears move would only ease burden on Mitch Trubisky
Is Gordon trustworthy? Absolutely not. Is he prone to poor decisions and untimely injuries? Yes. Is he also a freak of nature physically and capable of dominating games? Another big yes. Gordon was a budding superstar back in 2013 after going over 1,600 yards and earning All-Pro honors. Not only is he 6’3 with a strong body, but he’s also legitimately fast with the ability to take a top off a defense.
Anywhere he signs, no team in their right mind will give him a big payday. So at least for 2018, he’s likely to command a fairly cheap one-year deal. That is right up the alley for a GM like Ryan Pace. It’s the classic low-risk, high-reward situation. His addition to the offense alongside Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, and Anthony Miller would make life so much easier on quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
The former #2 overall pick is still learning how to execute an NFL offense at a high level. The best way to speed that up is giving him an array of targets who can’t be easily controlled by defenses. Gordon is one of those rare talents. Chicago has a rebuilt locker room filled with plenty of strong leaders on both offense and defense. It’s a situation that could handle Gordon’s issues without too much trouble.
Is signing him absolutely necessary? Of course not. They would be fine without him. However, would they be a better offense with him on the field instead of Kevin White? Yes, they would. This is something they cannot and should not dismiss out of hand.
