The Browns aren't trading Josh Gordon, nor should they

As much grief as the Cleveland Browns get, give them credit for not being dumb and trading Josh Gordon right now.

There have been reports all week that multiple NFL teams have been asking about Gordon’s availability, and why wouldn’t they? Gordon was reinstated by the NFL this month, the Browns can’t have too much patience left with the oft-suspended receiver, and Gordon is really talented. And the reports on him from practice have been glowing. My guess is the Browns didn’t get one offer that matches with Gordon’s talent level. Teams are digging around in the clearance rack, hoping to find a nice shirt was mistakenly tagged and put there. You can’t blame them. We all have that crazy guy in our fantasy league who can’t help himself from making really bad trades. In the real NFL world, the Browns are that team.

The Browns said they aren’t “looking to trade” Gordon. NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo said the Browns have told teams they want “a second-round pick and then some.” Which means a deal isn’t getting done. Not now, anyway.

There’s no reason for the Browns to trade Gordon low right now. He’s making about $817,000 and because of all his suspensions, is not yet eligible to hit unrestricted free agency in 2017. He’ll be restricted. And of all the players who have ever led the NFL in receiving yards, Gordon is the youngest. He’s just 25. That’s two years younger than Julio Jones and three years younger than Antonio Brown.

The risks are there, for sure. You can’t really trust Gordon to stay out of trouble at this point, even though Gordon will start this season on a four-game suspension. But a middling draft pick isn’t worth the possibility of Gordon reviving his career. Giving away a player who had 1,646 yards in 14 games catching balls from Jason Campbell, Brandon Weeden and Brian Hoyer, which is what Gordon did in 2013, is what bad teams do.

And that’s an easy cue for another Browns joke, but maybe things are finally changing. They worked this year’s draft well, trading down to stockpile a lot of valuable picks. Hue Jackson seems like a very good hire, Robert Griffin III has looked pretty good in a very limited sample size so far this preseason, and even receiver Terrelle Pryor seems like he might be a legit and unexpected weapon in the offense. It’s not going to all happen in one offseason. You have to build, piece by piece. Gordon could be a big piece.

I know it can all come crashing down quickly because it’s the Browns. But maybe the days of taking a homeless guy’s advice on drafting Johnny Manziel are over. Resisting the urge to dump a valuable asset, who is making peanuts this year and is practically under team control next year too, is smart.

Browns? Smart? Hey, let’s see if this lasts.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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