Johnny Manziel

The NFL is now clarifying that it can rule on Josh Gordon's reinstatement "when appropriate,'' and the Browns aren't counting on him for 2016.

First, he has to be reinstated, which is no sure thing. Then, they have to see where his head is at.

They know where his body has been -- in the same vicinity as Johnny Manziel's a lot lately, but they're claiming that's not an issue at this point.

And now, the NFL is making it clear that the 60-day timeframe to rule on Gordon's reinstatement from his indefinite drug ban is a guideline and not written in stone.

Owners drafting early may want to slow their roll with Gordon given this language. It sounds as if the team isn't terribly optimistic about his return, and there's no telling when the league will rule on his request for reinstatement. He's currently being drafted at the end of the 3rd round and that's a steep price to pay for a player surrounded by this much uncertainty.