Here’s how Josh Gordon has impressed Andy Reid and Kansas City Chiefs coaches in OTAs

Josh Gordon is a 31-year-old NFL veteran. But the way his Kansas City coaches have praised the wide receiver in his first full offseason as a Chief, it almost sounds like he’s just coming off his rookie year.

After signing with Kansas City last October and joining the team in Week 5 after a suspension, Gordon played sparingly, only catching five passes before being waived and joining the practice squad.

But his coaches aren’t ruling out a return to form as Gordon battles for the fifth and possible sixth wide receiver spots on the roster. After Thursday’s organized team activity drills, head coach Andy Reid noted Gordon is “running better (and) catching better.”

“(Last season), he’s got to get back into the flow playing the game, and then you’ve thrown a whole new offense right in the middle of it all,” Reid said. “Fast forward, now, it’s slowed down.”

The 6-foot-3-inch, 238-pound wideout also dropped weight this offseason, according to Reid.

Wide receivers coach Joe Bleymaier had a similar refrain last Thursday about Gordon’s first full offseason as a Chief and said he had “big expectations” for the wideout.

“The offseason when he got here, it was just as much as we could do to get him on the field and have him knowing his assignments,” Bleymaier said.

“He did what we needed last year. Now, he can kind of understand why, get on the same page with (quarterback Patrick Mahomes), understand the timing and how he fits in with everybody else. Just not only the reps but the depth in the field and him getting his stride back and realizing where he was when he was at the top of his game.”

What made Gordon special at the top of his game was the ability to make big plays with his length and speed. In his breakout 2013 sophomore season, he averaged 18.9 yards per reception and a prolific 7.3 yards after the catch en route to 1,646 receiving yards.

After suspensions and off-the-field issues limited his opportunities for years, Gordon now has the chance to play a full season for the same team for the first time since 2013.

His coaches sense he’s making the most of it.

“Last year, he was just so focused on what we were asking him to do,” Bleymaier said. “He wasn’t neglecting what has gotten to this point, but now, he’s just bringing it all full picture.”

This story was originally published June 9, 2022 at 4:21 PM with the headline "Here’s how Josh Gordon has impressed Andy Reid and Kansas City Chiefs coaches in OTAs."