Josh Gordon Added to Practice Squad

The 31-year-old wide receiver led the NFL in receiving yards nearly a decade ago, has been in trouble with the league several times since.

NASHVILLE – In signing wide receiver Josh Gordon to the practice squad, the Tennessee Titans added a talented player with a long history of suspensions.

Gordon worked out for franchise officials on Wednesday, and the sides agreed to a deal Thursday morning. ESPN was first to report the move.

The team formally announced the move Thursday afternoon. In addition to Gordon, tight end Kevin Rader was added to the practice squad. To make room, wide receiver Reggie Roberson and tight end David Wells were released from the practice squad.

A second-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in the NFL’s Supplemental Draft of 2012, Gordon posted one tremendous season – but it was a long time ago. He totaled 87 catches for a league-high 1,646 yards as well as nine touchdowns in 2013, earning All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in the process.

He has never caught more than 41 passes nor totaled more than 737 yards in a season since then, and Gordon has been suspended by the NFL six times during that stretch – suspensions that caused him to miss full seasons in 2015, 2016 and 2020. Five of those suspensions have been for substance abuse.

Gordon’s most recent NFL suspension occurred in January of 2021, which led to his release by Seattle in March.

The NFL reinstated Gordon in July of 2021, and he was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Gordon, 31, was a bit player for the Chiefs last season. He started seven of the 12 games he played in, but totaled just five catches for 32 yards (6.4-yard average) and one touchdown.

In three preseason games with the Chiefs this year, Gordon caught one of five targets, for a 20-yard gain. Kansas City released Gordon on Tuesday, when NFL teams trimmed their rosters to 53 players.

In the previous season he played, 2019 (for New England and Seattle), Gordon totaled 27 catches for 426 yards (15.8-yard average) and one touchdown.

Overall, Gordon has caught 252 passes for 4,284 yards (17.0-yard average) and 21 touchdowns in a 75-game career over seven seasons on the field.

Gordon will get a long look from a Titans team that has plenty of question marks at the receiver position.

The Titans traded Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Brown to Philadelphia last April, and also parted ways with veteran Julio Jones.

Robert Woods is the proven veteran of the Titans’ receiving corps, but he’s new to the team after arriving in an offseason trade with the Rams – and is also coming off ACL surgery last November. The team’s first-round draft pick last April, Treylon Burks, has shown flashes of excellence, but remains a work in progress. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine should be a consistent option for Ryan Tannehill, and rookie Kyle Philips looks like he will prove reliable as a slot receiver.

The Titans placed second-year receiver Racey McMath on injured reserve on Wednesday, replacing him with Cody Hollister.

If Gordon can show any semblance of the talent he displayed in past years, he should get a chance to play for a Titans team desperate for a deep threat.

At least as big a question, given Gordon’s past, is whether he will be able to steer clear of suspensions.