Is Josh Gordon The Best Receiver In The NFL?

In the NFL the wide receiver position is very loaded with players such as Calvin Johnson and Andre Johnson who are the top 2 in yards in the NFL but the argument could be made that neither are the best in the league right now. Josh Gordon of the Cleveland Browns is playing at an incredibly high level of football but it’s going unnoticed due to the ineptitude of the Cleveland Browns franchise. His name probably isn’t too familiar to you if you’re just a casual fan and aren’t involved in the world of fantasy football.

Calvin and Andre Johnson are currently ranked first and second in the NFL in receiving yards as Calvin has 1,299 and Andre has 1,277. Well not too far behind is Josh Gordon with 1,249 yards but further examination at these players numbers is where you really see the greatness of Gordon. You must look at numbers in context, so let’s start with targets. Calvin Johnson has been targeted 132 times this season while Andre Johnson has been targeted 149 times this season. That is a lot of targets for any player but for those guys it means a lot more because of their big play ability. 

Josh Gordon has only been targeted 113 times this season which is 19 times less than Calvin and 36 less than Andre. That’s a huge disparity due to the caliber of players that Calvin and Andre Johnson are but despite all that Josh Gordon is only 50 yards behind Calvin and only 28 yards behind Andre. A look at Gordon’s yards per catch is also a testament to the high level play he is displaying right now. Josh Gordon averages 19.5 yards per catch which is higher than Calvin Johnson (18.0) and Andre Johnson (13.4) which means that every time he touches the ball he is likely to get more yards than both of those guys. Keep in mind that Gordon is doing this with the Browns who have started 3 different quarterback this season (Brandon Weeden, Brian Hoyer, Jason Campbell).

 If you’re into a history then here is some for you. No player in the history of the NFL has ever had back to back 200+ yards games until Josh Gordon accomplished that by collecting 10 receptions, 261 yards and 2 touchdowns versus the Jaguars. This of course started when he collected 14 receptions, 237 yards and 1 touchdown versus the Steelers. Nobody in the history of the NFL has ever done what he’s done the last 2 weeks not Jerry Rice, not Calvin Johnson, not Randy Moss, nobody has done that. So that speaks volumes to the level he is playing at right now with a revolving door at the quarterback position in Cleveland. Just imagine if he had Matthew Stafford like Calvin Johnson does, his numbers might even be better.

On top of all of that Gordon has had at least 125 yards and 1 touchdown in 4 of his last 5 games.
Not trying to gas up the former Baylor Bear just stating facts and give him the recognition his play has warranted. Check out my video on Josh Gordon down below.