Quotables: Josh Gordon won’t be cut, Chargers give Danny Woodhead extension

The Cleveland Browns are going to hang on to Pro Bowl wide receiver Josh Gordon after another troubled offseason in which he faces a suspension after violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Head coach Mike Pettine confirmed as much when he spoke with Cleveland.com on Tuesday.

“If any of our players are in need of help, we’ll do our best to provide it for them and also that we’re going to do what we feel is best for the organization,” he said. “By league guidelines, whatever help we can provide him, we’re going to do it. A Cleveland Brown is a Cleveland Brown. If we feel we can help him, let’s help him. Sometimes you’re handcuffed by the situation, so until it plays out then there’s really nothing tangible we can do at this point.”

It’s reasonable to assume the Browns would consider such a move given Gordon’s troubled history, but his talent outweighs his shortcomings in the team’s mind.

Veterans report on Friday, and Pettine expects Gordon to be there.

St. Louis Rams rookie Michael Sam responded to former head coach Tony Dungy’s comments that he wouldn’t have drafted the former SEC Defensive Player of the Year because of the distraction factor.

Much like Sam has handled his unique situation as the league’s first openly-gay player, he responded with class and was all smiles when he spoke with reporters on Tuesday. Dungy has since come out and clarified his statement, but Sam went on to say he has a lot of respect for the NFL lifer. In Sam’s case, the attention needs to be placed upon actually making the team, first and foremost, as Ryan Van Bibber of Turf Show Times explains:

Anyway, that’s basically the response you could have expected from Sam. And it’s good to see him take the high road. The Rams see him first and foremost as a football player, and a barrier breaker second. He’s got to keep his focus on making the roster, which isn’t going to be an easy task considering the depth at the position in St. Louis.

The San Diego Chargers re-signed running back Danny Woodhead to a two-year extension that will last through the 2016 season. The dual-threat back had one year remaining on his current contract.

Contract extensions are a relative rarity in the NFL. While he certainly deserves a longer tenure in San Diego, this move could be a way to restructure his contract and move money around to give the team some space under the cap. It’s win-win for both sides though: Danny Woodhead gets some added job security, and the Chargers get to keep one of their key offensive components longer and gain some cap space at the same time.

Last season, he caught a career-high 76 passes for the Bolts.

Ray Rice is facing league discipline for an offseason domestic violence incident, and the Baltimore Ravens remain in a holding pattern until the NFL makes its decision on how to administer the punishment.

Head coach John Harbaugh spoke at length with the Baltimore Sun regarding the incident and whether or not he expects his star back in the near future. He said it won’t make a difference early on.

.“I don’t think it affects us until halfway through training camp maybe,” Harbaugh said. “We’ll just be business as usual until then. We’re installing for the first six days and working in situaitons through the first two preseason games. Once we get past the second preseason game, then we’ll need to know. Whenever they’re ready to let us know, then we’ll be ready to hear it.”

But with training camp upon them, the Ravens are running out of time before they need to know an answer either way.