CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Josh Gordon's agent says his client is doing well and determined to be re-instated to the NFL after his minimum year-long ban expires in February.

"With Josh, he's hanging in there,'' Drew Rosenhaus told Northeast Ohio Media Group Saturday at the Joe Haden & Friends softball game at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio.

"He's biding his time. It's a difficult process and it's meant to be difficult obviously. But I've got faith in him and he'll get through this tough time and he still has a very bright future in the NFL in my opinion.''

Rosenhaus said Gordon, a Houston native, is still living in the Cleveland area and spending time with his teammates away from the Browns facility. During his unpaid ban, Gordon is not permitted to work out with the team or attend meetings.

In essence, he's been kicked out of the league for multiple violations of the substance abuse policy and won't be permitted at team functions until he gets the green light from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

"The players on this team really care about Josh,'' Rosenhaus said. "Joe Haden's been great to him and so have all of his friends on the team. That's really meant a lot to Josh during this difficult time.''

One reason for Rosenhaus' optimism is that another one of his clients, former Redskins tight end Fred Davis, was recently re-instated and signed a one-year deal with the Patriots. Davis was suspended indefinitely in February of 2014 for multiple violations of the substance abuse policy and spent all last season out of football. He was reinstated by Goodell on May 7th and signed by New England on May 11th.

"Josh is just as determined to make it back as Fred was,'' said Rosenhaus.

Rosenhaus acknowledged that it's difficult for players suspended indefinitely to be banned from their teams and separated from their support structure. Gordon, who was banned after drinking alcohol on a plane to Las Vegas in January with teammates and former Browns receivers coach Mike McDaniel, plays pickup basketball with his Browns teammates and hangs out at Haden's house, but misses working out at the Browns facility and being on the field for organized team activities.

He was also suspended 10 games last year for marijuana and two games the year before that for what he said was codeine in his prescription cough syrup.

"It's not an easy situation to be in and he's just taking it one day at a time,'' said Rosenhaus.

Still, he's confident Gordon can remain clean and sober despite being tested up to 10 times per month by the NFL.

"It's been about four months and we're just trying to get him through this year,'' Rosenhaus said.

Not every indefinitely-banned player gets re-instated. Former first-round receiver Justin Blackmon of the Jaguars is still in limbo after sitting out more than a year on his minimum one-year ban. The Jaguars are preparing to do without him again in 2015 and his status is uncertain.

It's a departure from January, when Jaguars owner Shad Khan told reporters he's was "very optimistic'' about Blackmon returning to the field in 2015.

Meanwhile, Haden said in April that he keeps in touch with Gordon a lot.

"I just try to keep him positive,'' he said. "When you're out for the year, you can't be too excited at all. I'm just trying to be there for him, just trying to keep him on a positive note."

Like Rosenhaus, who also represents Haden, the cornerback can attest to the fact that Gordon is committed to resuming his NFL career.



"For sure,'' he said. "That's all it is."

In the interim, the Browns are counting on newcomers Brian Hartline and Dwayne Bowe to upgrade the receiving corps and improve on the Browns league-low 12 TD catches in 2014. Bowe tweaked a knee in practice last Tuesday and left the field, but coach Mike Pettine said it's nothing serious.

The Browns are in their third and final week of voluntary organized team activities, with Thursday's practice the only one open to the media. The club will conduct it's mandatory minicamp next Tuesday through Thursday before most of the team disperses until the start of training camp at the end of July.