The Tennessee Titans traded away star wide receiver A.J. Brown this offseason, replacing him with veteran Robert Woods and rookie Treylon Burks. On Thursday, they added more insurance at the position, signing former Chiefs veteran Josh Gordon to their practice squad, according to ESPN. The one-time star visited the team as a free agent a day earlier.
The Titans kept just five wide receivers on their initial 53-man roster, which led many to believe general manager Jon Robinson would search for another. Terry McCormick of Titansinsider.com has also reported that reserve wideout/special teamer Racey McMath is dealing with a hip injury that could land him on injured reserve.
Gordon was released by the Kansas City Chiefs this week as the team made its roster cutdowns. The 31-year-old caught just five passes for 32 yards and one touchdown in 12 games played last year. After parting ways with Gordon, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid made his thoughts known on the previously troubled wideout.
"Listen, I'm proud of Josh for all that he did. [It was] a real pleasure to have him here," Reid said Tuesday, via Pro Football Talk. "There's a chance that he potentially is back here and if it doesn't work out somewhere else, but just from a football standpoint but also even the bigger picture of things, he really did a heck of a job."
Gordon burst onto the scene as a rookie with the Cleveland Browns, and actually led the NFL in receiving in his second season back in 2013 with 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns on 87 catches. However, off-field issues then derailed his career, as Gordon was suspended 10 games in 2014 for violating the league's substance-abuse policy, and then was suspended for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. He would play just six more games for Cleveland before being traded to the New England Patriots in 2018. Gordon also played five games for the Seattle Seahawks.
Gordon isn't exactly in his prime at this point, but the Titans are clearly interested in a veteran who could potentially help Ryan Tannehill and the offense.