Josh Gordon is headed back to Cleveland.
The Browns announced Monday that their long-lost wideout will report to the team on Tuesday to meet with officials from the organization following his reinstatement.
The NFL announced last Wednesday that Gordon had been reinstated on a conditional basis by Commissioner Roger Goodell, with the ability "to join the Browns to attend meetings, engage in conditioning work and individual workouts."
Currently stashed on the Commissioner's Exempt list, Gordon -- if all goes swimmingly -- will be allowed to practice with the Browns starting Monday, November 20. Come November 27, the 26-year-old pass-catcher would be eligible at the club's discretion to return to active status.
Gordon hasn't appeared in a regular-season tilt since 2014. The wideout voluntarily entered an in-patient rehabilitation facility last October to, as he stated, "gain full control of my life."
Last season, coach Hue Jackson told reporters the team planned to "close that chapter" on Gordon, but the winless Browns have since switched gears.
"We respect and commend Josh for taking the steps necessary to have the opportunity to return to the league," Browns executive VP of football operations Sashi Brown said last week. "Josh will be in our building in the coming days and we look forward to having him back and sitting with him to discuss his future on our team."
Gordon appeared briefly during the 2016 preseason and looked sensational, using his 6-foot-3, 225-pound frame to dominate defensive backs and remind the world of his brilliant 2013 campaign, which saw him lead the league in receiving yards (1,646) despite playing just 14 games.
It might not mean much to this year's Browns, but a healthy and out-of-trouble Gordon would come as a godsend to a team with the NFL's greenest cast of wideouts. With Corey Coleman returning from injured reserve Monday, Cleveland would finally have some weapons to offer whoever is under center by then.
That said, Gordon has been one of the league's biggest teases and a source of deep frustration for Browns fans. The idea of relying on him is pure fool's gold until we see it unfold week after week and season after season for a team desperately in search of a spark.
