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Seahawks made a bold move nabbing Josh Gordon from waivers

By Todd Vandenberg

ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 29: Josh Gordon #10 of the New England Patriots runs with the ball as Jordan Poyer #21 of the Buffalo Bills attempts to tackle him during the third quarter at New Era Field on September 29, 2019 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 29: Josh Gordon #10 of the New England Patriots runs with the ball as Jordan Poyer #21 of the Buffalo Bills attempts to tackle him during the third quarter at New Era Field on September 29, 2019 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Josh Gordon, newest target for the Seahawks
FOXBOROUGH, MA – DECEMBER 02: Josh Gordon #10 of the New England Patriots runs on his way to scoring a touchdown during the third quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Gillette Stadium on December 2, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images) /

Seahawks took a small risk for a big potential reward

Fast forward to 2018. Gordon played just one game for the Browns before they traded him to the Patriots. Teamed with an actual quarterback for once, he had his best season since his All-Pro campaign. He caught 40 passes for 720 yards and three touchdowns. Once again, the league suspended him for substance abuse, this time near the end of the season. Gordon missed the final two games of the year.

Despite this, New England brought him back this year. He played fairly well through the first six games of the year, with 20 catches for 287 yards and one touchdown. He’d battled knee and ankle injuries for some time, then left the Giants game after just 25 snaps. Gordon had averaged 69 snaps per game this year. The Patriots put him on injured reserve, and that was it.

Financially, the Seahawks aren’t taking much of a risk. According to spotrac.com, they’re on the hook for just a bit over $1 million this season, none of it guaranteed. I remind you, the cash outlay for Gary Jennings Jr. this year is $1.2 million. If Gordon gets into four games and plays as well as he has throughout his career, he’ll be an absolute steal.

Per 16 games, Gordon has averaged 66 catches for 1,135 yards and three touchdowns. That’s a 17.1 yard per catch average. For the past two years, he’s averaged 6.4 yards after the catch. Yes, the touchdowns are low, but his quarterbacks were Brandon Weeden, Jason Campbell, Brian Hoyer, Johnny Manziel, and DeShone Kizer for his first four seasons. It’s a miracle he ever scored if you ask me.

Next. Grades for the Hawks win over the Bucs. dark

Gordon is still fighting his injuries, and I’m sure he’s still fighting his addictions as well. You don’t start abusing yourself in middle school and then magically beat your dependencies. When healthy, Gordon is one of the best receivers in the game. The Seahawks picked him up for pocket change. Giving Russell Wilson another great target, after the game he played Sunday, almost doesn’t seem fair. Somehow I doubt anyone in College Navy and Wolf Gray will complain.

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