Browns receiver Josh Gordon will miss the first two games of the season due to a suspension, not an injury. But it’s an injury that could hamper his efforts in the short term to become as prepared as possible for a Week Three return.
Gordon, acquired last July in the second round of the supplemental draft, left practice on Monday with patellar tendinitis.
“He started out, tried to push through it, but we sat him down for the rest of practice,’' coach Rob Chudzinski, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “It shouldn’t be too big of a deal.’'
The condition didn’t develop Monday, and it’s unclear whether he’ll miss much time with chronic irritation in the tissue that connects the shin to the bottom of the kneecap.
“It had just been bothering him,’' Chudzinski said. “He had gone through a little bit of the individual [drills] and it was bothering him enough that we stopped it.”
Browns fans know all too well about the patellar tendon. Seven years ago, free-agent center LeCharles Bentley tore his on the first 11-on-11 snap of training camp. The injury and subsequent surgeries and infections and more surgeries ended his career.
And, yes, patellar tendinitis can lead to a rupture of the tendon. Chudzinski said he’s not sure whether an MRI will be performed to explore the status of Gordon’s tendon, which can be weakened by inflammation.
Either way, Gordon will at least get one day to rest his legs. The Browns have a CBA-mandated off day on Tuesday.
Gordon had been off to a good start in camp. They need him to step up this year, once his banishment for violating the substance-abuse policy concludes.
