After the team finished up its training camp practice on Saturday, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy spoke to reporters about the group of skill position players the Chiefs have at this year’s camp. He also talked about two veteran players who had disappointing campaigns in 2021.
One of those players, in particular, was wide receiver Josh Gordon, who’s had a spotty NFL career since first entering the league almost a decade earlier. After finishing the 2013 season by leading the league with 1,646 receiving yards and earning All-Pro honors as a rookie with the Cleveland Browns, Gordon was suspended by the NFL five separate times, causing him to miss over three full seasons.
When the league reinstated Gordon last season, the Chiefs decided to give the veteran receiver an opportunity to redeem himself and save his NFL career by signing him to the practice squad in September of 2021. Two weeks later, he was moved to the active roster and appeared in 12 regular season games, starting seven of them, but finished the ‘21 season with only five catches for 32 yards and a score off of 12 total targets.
But despite the disappointing season, the Chiefs didn’t give up on Gordon, re-signing him in early 2022. Rather than allow him to fade into obscurity or catch on with another team, the Chiefs’ coaches like Eric Bieniemy believe that with a full offseason and training camp, Gordon can return to his All-Pro form.
“This has been a fun process with Josh,” said the offensive coordinator on Saturday, “because first and foremost, after going through it for a season, he had an offseason to spend time with us. He’s in tremendous shape. On some of the stuff, he’s still learning. But it’s been fun working with him because the thing I love about him is that he’s the guy who is going to give you all that he has.” he explained. “He works hard. He practices hard. If he makes a mistake, he’s like, ‘Hey, coach. I screwed that up.’ He’s accountable. And he understands his place. And then, on top of that, he’s providing leadership to the young guys, Everything that he’s doing? We can’t ask for anymore.”
Whether or not Gordon makes the final 53 is unknown, but there’s no doubt that the Chiefs’ coaching staff is rooting for him to get his NFL career back on track and become a contributor the offense can count on.
