Another Big-Name Receiver Flames Out

Josh Gordon is hardly the first notable wide receiver who failed to restart his career or live up to the expectations that accompanied his arrival with the Tennessee Titans.

The Titans released Gordon from their practice squad Monday. He had been with the team since the start of the regular season but never earned a spot on the active roster. Twice, he was a standard elevation to the active roster, but he was targeted once and did not have a reception.

C.J. Board, a veteran of 24 games played for two teams over the past three seasons, was signed to the practice squad to fill Gordon’s spot.

“We gave (Gordon) an opportunity and did not see enough there,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “[And] we went with another player.”

When Gordon, 31, joined the Titans, he was nearly a decade removed from his lone 1,000-yard season. He led the NFL with 1,646 yards and was a first-team All-Pro in 2013 with Cleveland. Offseason issues derailed his career for a time (he was suspended for two full seasons) but memories of his speed and playmaking ability earned him opportunities with five different franchises over the past four-plus seasons.

His stint with Tennessee was his least productive yet, which put him in good company with other Pro Bowlers and All-Pros at his position who fell far short of expectations with the Titans.

A look at some notable wide receivers who had brief, unproductive stints with the Tennessee Titans:

• Carl Pickens (2000): Considered to be the missing piece for an offense built around the running of Eddie George and the toughness of Steve McNair, the two-time Pro Bowler in eight seasons with Cincinnati caught just 10 passes and did not score a touchdown in nine games. On the plus side, seven of his receptions went for 15 yards or more, and he averaged 24.2 yards per reception.

• Eric Moulds (2007): He managed to play a full season with Tennessee, but in 16 games he caught just 32 passes for 342 yards with no touchdown. Those numbers were a far cry from he 66.5 receptions and 877.5 yards he averaged in 11 preceding seasons (10 with Buffalo, one with Houston), which included three Pro Bowl appearances.

• Randy Moss (2010): The Titans became his third team of the season when they claimed him off waivers from Minnesota (he started with New England). He caught passes in just half of the games he played and had six receptions for 80 yards in all. Tennessee is the only team for which he played in his career that he did not have a touchdown catch.

• Andre Johnson (2016): After 12 seasons with Houston and one with Indianapolis, Johnson played just eight games and had nine receptions (on 22 targets) for 85 yards and two touchdowns. At that point, he decided to call it a career.

• Julio Jones (2021): A two-time All-Pro in 10 seasons with Atlanta, Jones could not stay healthy during his one season with Tennessee. He appeared in 10 games total but caught 31 passes for 434 yards, an average of 14.0 yards per reception that was among the lowest of his career. He did not have a touchdown catch until the end of the regular season. One of his best performances came in the playoffs, when he caught six passes in the loss to Cincinnati.

• Golden Tate (2021): He was signed to the practice squad on Nov. 23 as A.J. Brown and Julio Jones continued to battle injury issues. Unlike running back Adrian Peterson and some others, Tate was not quickly elevated to the active roster. In fact, he never made it – or even on to a gameday roster – and was released on Jan. 4, days before the regular-season finale.