Suspended Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon can apply for reinstatement on Aug. 1 and, according to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, he took the first step toward his return this week by meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Gordon has been indefinitely suspended since February 2015 after multiple violations of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. He originally was supposed to be allowed to apply for reinstatement in April, but the league denied his request. Reports also surfaced that he had failed another league-administered drug test.

According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, no decision on Gordon’s status is expected anytime soon. He will remain under the Browns’ control upon his return, assuming it happens before the end of the 2017 season. That being said, there’s no guarantee Cleveland will keep him, especially after taking four wide receivers in this year’s draft.

Gordon’s last nearly full season was in 2013, when his 1,646 receiving yards led the NFL even though he was suspended for the first two games of the year for his initial violation of the league’s drug policy. He missed all but five games of 2014 while serving his second NFL suspension (10 games) plus a one-game suspension handed down by the Browns for violating team rules.

In June, NFL great Jim Brown told Cabot that he had been in touch with Gordon and that he seemed to be on the right track.

“I’ve talked with Josh twice on the phone, and the last time I talked with him he sounded very motivated and I think he was in rehab and feeling good about it and discovering some things about himself,” said Brown, a Cleveland team adviser.

“He really seemed ready to take responsibility for himself.”

STEELERS: Pittsburgh released tight end Matt Spaeth after the veteran tight end failed a physical.

The 32-year-old is recovering from offseason knee surgery and did not recover in time to be ready for training camp, which opens next week. Spaeth spent seven of his nine seasons in the NFL with the Steelers, who selected him in the third round of the 2007 draft.

Utilized mostly as a blocking tight end and backup to Heath Miller, Spaeth has 55 receptions for 420 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career and helped the Steelers to the 2009 Super Bowl.

PACKERS: Team President Mark Murphy told stockholders at their annual meeting Thursday that the team applied to host the draft in 2019, 2020 or 2021.

The last two drafts have been held in Chicago after years of being held in New York City.