BEREA, Ohio -- Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan would not hesitate to put Josh Gordon on the field Sunday for the Cleveland Browns -- if a new drug policy agreement between the NFL and NFLPA makes that possibility a reality.
"If Josh is able to play this week, I'd like to get him out there," Shanahan said Thursday. "I think he would help."
Gordon was suspended Aug. 27 for failing an offseason drug test for marijuana. He hasn't been with the team since. Sources have told ESPN.com's Dan Graziano that the new drug policy could allow for Gordon's suspension to be reduced to six to 10 games.
He tested positive for marijuana in early March, and his suspension was upheld on appeal. Gordon recently told ESPN's Elizabeth Merrill that he has not smoked marijuana since his college days, and he and his lawyers have attributed his positive test to secondhand smoke.
The league and the players' union have been in talks all week about a new drug policy. Had the proposed agreement been in effect over the offseason, Gordon would not have been suspended.
Some reports have said a lifted suspension would apply only to those disciplined after testing positive in the 2014 league year, which began March 12. Gordon's positive test is believed to have come a week or two earlier, meaning it took place in the 2013 league year.
The Browns have never cleared out Gordon's locker, even though he was suspended.
Gordon broke a team record and led the NFL with 1,646 receiving yards as a Pro Bowler last season.