At long last, Josh Gordon is back on the field for the Cleveland Browns.
The receiver took part in his first practice since NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reinstated him from suspension earlier this month.
Gordon hasn't played in a regular-season game since 2014. The 26-year-old pass-catcher voluntarily entered an in-patient rehabilitation facility last October to, as he stated, "gain full control of my life."
The Browns have stood by Gordon through an array of off-the-field issues, largely because he's been the best skill-position player they've possessed since returning to the league in 1999.
Gordon led the NFL in receiving yards (1,646) in 2013, despite playing just 14 games. He last appeared briefly during the 2016 preseason and looked sensational, using his 6-foot-3, 225-pound frame to dominate defensive backs.
"It's like Christmas,"Browns coach Hue Jackson said Monday of Gordon, per the Akron Beacon Journal. "I get to open a new toy. I know what's in that box, but I just want to see how good it is. It's exciting that he'll be back out there."
The winless Browns are mired in a historically bad losing streak, but the pairing of Gordon and fellow wideout Corey Coleman looks intriguing on paper. Browns fans have learned not to get their hopes up with Gordon, but he arrives in time to bring a dash of hope to an otherwise soul-crushing campaign.
