Patriots take chance on troubled Gordon

Josh Gordon’s Cleveland career is over, and New England hopes to get the troubled receiver back on track.

The Browns severed ties with Gordon on Monday, trading him to the Patriots for a fifth-round draft pick. The deal came after the Browns announced they were parting ways with Gordon, who has been suspended numerous times for drug violations since Cleveland drafted him in 2012.

“I hate to determine it a relief,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said. “I’m glad there is closure. I’m glad that we’re not in a space where we’re thinking about those things.”

Gordon, 27, played in the season opener and had a 17yard touchdown catch, but showed up late Saturday with an unexplained hamstring injury. The Browns said they would release him, but worked out a swap with the receiver-starved Patriots, who also get a seventhround pick. New England cut Gordon’s former Browns teammate Corey Coleman, who was signed last week.

Bill Belichick has a history of reclamation projects with castoffs, including Randy Moss and Chad Johnson. The Patriots coach will try to work the same magic with Gordon, a 6-foot-3, 225-pounder with dazzling size and speed.

In his second season, Gordon led the league with 1,646 receiving yards and scored nine touchdowns. He had a memorable 80-yard touchdown catch against the Patriots, turning a short catch into an electrifying run on which he made New England’s defenders appear to be standing still.

But that was in 2013, and Gordon has played in only 11 games since. Still, he’s regarded among his peers as a very talented player.

“Freakish athlete,” Patriots receiver Phillip Dorsett said. “We see what he does when he’s on the field.”

Gordon is joining one of the most stable and successful organizations in pro sports, and has motivation to produce. He’s making $790,000 this season and will be a restricted free agent.

Gordon can potentially help a New England receiving group that has undergone numerous changes since the offseason departure of Danny Amendola as a free agent and the trade of Brandin Cooks to the Rams.

The Patriots took another hit when Julian Edelman was suspended for the first four games for violating the NFL policy on performance enhancers.

Tom Brady did his best in the season-opening win to spread the ball around, completing passes to eight different players. Seven players caught at least one pass in Sunday’s loss to Jacksonville, but the defense was able to key on tight end Rob Gronkowski, holding him to two catches for 15 yards.

Kickers booted

Two struggling kickers got the boot, as Cleveland cut Zane Gonzalez and Minnesota cut Daniel Carlson.

Gonzalez missed four kicks Sunday that cost the Browns their first win since 2016. He’s replaced by rookie free agent Greg Joseph.

Carlson, a rookie, missed all three of his field-goal attempts Sunday, including two in overtime. Veteran Dan Bailey, the secondmost-accurate kicker in NFL history who was cut by Dallas before the season, has agreed to a contract, according to reports.

No Rosen yet

Arizona has scored only six points in two games, but coach Steve Wilks said quarterback Sam Bradford won’t be benched this week for rookie Josh Rosen.

“If I thought it was just that one position, I would be more than willing to say, ‘You know what? We need to make a change. We need a spark. We need something to happen,’ ” Wilks said. “But it’s just not Sam.”

Etc.

Jacksonville left tackle Cam Robinson (knee) is out for the rest of the season.