(Photo Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports)

Josh Gordon caught one touchdown pass this season

In the opener.

It may well be the last he ever catches in the NFL.

The talented but troubled receiver snagged his sixth suspension from the league on Monday, another indefinite ban for violations of the NFL’s performance-enhancing drugs and substance abuse program. It’s hard to say if he will ever be back.

He was out of the league on suspension from 2014-2017. He has played for the Cleveland Browns (2012-18), the New England Patriots (2018 and parts of this season) and, after his release by the Pats, five games with the Seattle Seahawks.

Talented? Truly. But at some point, everyone runs out of second chances (unless you’re Colin Kaepernick, in which case you don’t get one). The Seahawks, who could use Gordon’s game-breaking skills, got one catch out of him Sunday in their victory over the Carolina Panthers. He has seven receptions in those five games with Seattle.

Way back in 2013, with the Browns, he caught 87 passes for a league-leading 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns. He was named All-Pro as he averaged 18.9 yards a catch.

Then came the downward spiral. He played in five games in 2014 and five more in 2017 when he returned to the Browns. They put up with him for one game in 2018 and then traded him to the Patriots. At the end of 2018, with another suspension looming, he voluntarily stepped away from the game, missing the final three games.

He returned just before the 2019 season began, played in six games for New England, was placed on injured reserve and abruptly released. The Seahawks claimed him on waivers.

“Josh has been through this before unfortunately and I know just from talking with him in the time he was with us that he does understand where the help comes from and the support that’s out there and he does utilize the resources that the league offers,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. “So I just wish him the best and hope he can do well.”

Talent only gets a player so far in the NFL. At some point the rules come into play and Gordon either cannot or will not follow them. His skills convince teams to take the chance, but then Gordon lets them down.

The bigger question is: Why does he keep letting himself down?

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman