NFL rumors: Seahawks will try to re-sign Josh Gordon if reinstated

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The Seattle Seahawks know Russell Wilson can take just about any roster they put around him and make it a playoff contender. But they also know that in order to truly contend with the 49ers atop the NFC West, Wilson will need more weapons.

That's why the Seahawks reportedly had shown at least some interest in Antonio Brown before he "retired" via Twitter again, and that's why would like to re-sign Josh Gordon should he be reinstated by the NFL, KIRO-AM's John Clayton reported Tuesday.

The NFL indefinitely suspended Gordon, 29, in December for violating the league's policies on performance-enhancing substances and substances of abuse. It was Gordon's fifth league suspension since 2013. He applied for reinstatement in June. Commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to make a decision on Gordon's reinstatement within the next week or two, per Clayton. If Gordon is reinstated, Goodell then will have to decide how many games, if any, Gordon will be suspended for.

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Gordon played six games for the New England Patriots and Seahawks last season. In five games for the Seahawks, Gordon caught seven passes for 139 yards, including two catches for 27 yards in the Seahawks' Week 10 win over the 49ers at Levi's Stadium.

While Gordon isn't the top-tier receiver he was during his days with the Cleveland Browns. the 29-year-old still is a talented player who would fit in nicely as the Seahawks' No. 3 receiver behind Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. The Seahawks did add Phillip Dorsett this offseason, but he tallied just two games with more than four catches for the Patriots in 2019.

The 49ers enter 2020 with a roster that is loaded with talent and prepared to win now, and the Seahawks face an overall talent dedficit. Wilson can help make up for most of the gap, but the Seahawks know more firepower is needed to close the gap on their division rival.

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The Seahawks of old are gone. The vaunted Legion of Boom defense has been dismantled and cast aside. Wilson has kept the Seahawks in the playoff picture while coach Pete Carroll has tried to rebuild on the other side of the ball. The Seahawks do boast a good secondary, and linebacker Bobby Wagner is a tackling machine. But their pass rush, especially if Jadeveon Clowney doesn't return, needs a lot of work and their offensive line is an amalgam of journeymen and former first-round picks who haven't lived up to their billing. 

Wilson still has a good 1-2 receiving duo in Metcalf and Lockett, but adding Gordon could be important to their NFC West hopes. Relying on Dorsett and David Moore to be the No. 3 and No. 4 is a dicey proposition, as it leaves the Seahawks one injury to Lockett or Metcalf away from serious trouble.

Gordon no longer is the star he once was, but he remains a solid NFL receiver when healthy and would give Wilson another weapon as the Seahawks look to find a way to close to the gap on the 49ers in the division.

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