Gordon said in a statement that he used cough medicine containing codeine

Receiver Josh Gordon was suspended without pay for the first two games next season for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, the second year in a row that the Cleveland Browns will be missing a key player because of a drug-related punishment.

Gordon also was fined two additional game checks on Friday. He'll miss games against the Dolphins and defending Super Bowl-champion Ravens, and is eligible to return for a game against the Vikings.

Gordon said in a statement that he used cough medicine containing codeine - a banned substance - while recovering from strep throat in February. The league could have given him a four-game suspension.

``The policy terms are strict about unintentional ingestion, but the NFL has not imposed the maximum punishment in light of the facts of my case,'' Gordon said. ``Therefore, I have chosen to be immediately accountable for the situation. I sincerely apologize for the impact on my team, coaches, and Browns fans.''

It's the second year in a row that the Browns have a key player suspended early in the season. Cornerback Joe Haden was suspended four games last season for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. Haden acknowledged taking the stimulant Adderall. The Browns lost their four games without him.

Gordon caught 50 passes as a rookie last season, developing into the Browns' best deep threat. He led the team with 805 yards receiving and five touchdowns.

The Browns selected him in the second round of the supplemental draft, taking a chance on a player who had major problems at Baylor. He was dismissed from the Bears after getting suspended twice for using marijuana. He transferred to Utah but didn't play there after failing another drug test.

Gordon will be able to practice with the team and play in the preseason games.

``Obviously, we are all disappointed in this news,'' coach Rob Chudzinski said. ``In our short time with Josh, he has done everything that we've asked him to do and he has exhibited substantial improvement.

``We believe that he will continue to work diligently through training camp and the preseason. I am confident that others will step up in his absence.''

Mangini hired as 49ers offensive consultant

Eric Mangini is back in the NFL - and back to his coaching roots.

The former coach of the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets was introduced as a senior offensive consultant for the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday, one day after he formally began his new job with the defending NFC champions.

While the move surprised many around the NFL because Mangini's background is on defense, the 42-year-old spent his first two seasons in the NFL working as an offensive assistant.

So after working as an analyst at ESPN for the past two years, Mangini is diving into his new gig with the hope of helping quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Co. take the next step after losing to the Baltimore Ravens 34-31 in the Super Bowl in February.

``To be able to do something new like this is really exciting. To be able to do it in a place like San Francisco, to me that was a big part of wanting to come back,'' said Mangini following the 49ers' two-hour OTA practice. ``I just want to help. Whatever that means, whatever that evolves into, the most important thing to me is to help.''

Just how the former Browns and Jets head coach ended up on Jim Harbaugh's staff in San Francisco is almost as interesting as the new job the 49ers created for him.

Mangini had never met Harbaugh until last September when the 49ers - in the midst of back-to-back games near the East Coast - stayed in Youngstown, Ohio to practice rather than flying back to California. Mangini attended one of the workouts and struck up a friendship with Harbaugh. The two men stayed in contact until meeting together two weeks ago, and shortly thereafter Harbaugh reached out with a job offer.

``I feel like we added a really talented, knowledgeable coach,'' Harbaugh said. ``He'll look at how defenses prepare for us and where we can attack defenses. That's what his role will be.''

Mangini had been out of the NFL since being fired by the Browns in January 2011 following a pair of 5-11 seasons. That came only two years after he lost his job in New York. Mangini coached the Jets from 2006-08, leading them to the playoffs in his first season with the team.

The time off from coaching helped give Mangini a different perspective on football - and life.

``I've got three little boys so it gave me a chance to spend time with them and to just get refreshed,'' Mangini said. ``But I missed it. I missed the competition, the strategy, the guys.''

Although he has spent the majority of his coaching career on defense - Mangini was the defensive coordinator for New England in 2005 - he spent his first two seasons in the NFL working as an offensive assistant with Cleveland and Baltimore.

With the 49ers, Mangini will break down opposing defenses as an advance scout and will aid Harbaugh in developing game plans each week.

His first order of business will be finding a place to live. Mangini has been staying at a local hotel since getting hired and has yet to bring his wife and children to the Bay Area.

Once that's done, Mangini will initially immerse himself in San Francisco's offense before starting to scout teams on the 49ers' 2013 schedule.

``This is a good system. They went to the Super Bowl last year, they went to the NFC championship the year before,'' Mangini said. ``They're doing so many things right I just want to find a way to complement them.''

Harbaugh says Mangini's role with the 49ers will be ``evolving'' and left open the possibility it could lead to some on-field coaching as well.

That, along with his new title as an offensive assistant, fits well with Mangini's desire to be a head coach in the NFL again.

``I think that's going to make me a lot better overall coach because it gives you a totally different perspective,'' Mangini said. ``That's definitely a goal of mine. Right now I want to do what I can do here as well as I can do it. But I think it's every coach's goal to eventually (be a head coach).''

Notes: The 49ers signed wide receiver/special teams standout Kassim Osgood. Osgood has been to the Pro Bowl three times in his 10-year NFL career. ... To make room, San Francisco waived WR Joe Hastings. ... Nearly all members of the starting secondary were absent from Tuesday's workout. CBs Carlos Rogers and Tarell Brown, along with S Donte Whitner, were not on the field. ... Veteran S Craig Dahl continues to take the majority of reps with the starters, but first-round pick Eric Reid is being worked into the rotation.