NFL

Gordon poised to make Chiefs debut against Bills

By Sports Desk October 05, 2021

Josh Gordon could make his Kansas City Chiefs debut against the Buffalo Bills this weekend after he was promoted to the active 53-man roster.

Wide receiver Gordon had been in the Chiefs' practice squad, but comes into contention to take on the Bills at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.

The 30-year-old joined Kansas City after he was reinstated by the NFL last week following a series of suspensions for violations of its policies on substances of abuse and performance-enhancing substances.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid on Monday revealed he was weighing up whether Gordon would play a part versus the Bills.

"I'm just gonna play it by ear and see how he feels," Reid said, via the Kansas City Star's Sam McDowell.

"Really, it's more of a comfort thing with the offense. I don't want to put him in a bad situation out there."

The Chiefs also confirmed on Tuesday that DE Joshua Kaindoh has been on injured reserve.

Gordon saw a comeback with the Seattle Seahawks halted in January when the league rescinded his conditional reinstatement.

He recorded 1,646 receiving yards and nine touchdowns on 87 catches with the Cleveland Browns in 2013 but has since seen his role restricted by his various absences.

After spells with the New England Patriots and the Seahawks, he has been given another chance by a Chiefs side that is 2-2 at the bottom of the AFC West following a 42-30 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

That victory saw Reid become the first coach in NFL history to win 100 games with two teams, having also achieved the feat with the Eagles.

Gordon is unlikely to be a primary option unless he returns to his early career form, although he did make a competitive 15.8 yards per reception in his last season in the league in 2019 – ranking 21st among WRs with 20 or more targets.

He was targeted on a relatively low 17.0 per cent of his routes, however, and got open on just 56.5 per cent of his targets – the 12th-worst rate among the same group of players.

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