Cleveland Browns Player Preview: Corey Coleman
Last season was a tough one for the city of Cleveland and the Cleveland Browns organization. Winless after a 1-15 season the year before, as we all know that makes in 1-31 over the past two season, there have not been many highlights and you can only find them far and few between. One player who may be feeling more pressure then anyone else heading into this season is third-year wide receiver Corey Coleman.
One could only imagine that after the last two season, as a player all you want is for your next game to have another chance to win. For Coleman, I am sure this past offseason could not go fast enough. Let’s take you back to Week 17 of last season as the 0-15 Browns rolled into Pittsburgh to face the Steelers. With the Browns driving down the field to what would have been the go-ahead touchdown with 1:54 left in the 4th, all seemed to be going in the Browns’ direction. It was 4th & 2, game and “perfect season” on the line. Coleman was lined up in the backfield to give the Steelers a different look. After avoiding a sack Kizer scrambled to his left to find Coleman who leaked out wide up for a sure first down to keep the game going. The linebacker who was in man coverage had collided with the corner and actually fell down allowing for no coverage on the route. Then the worst thing possible happened, it went right through Coleman’s hands.
The Browns turned the ball over and the rest was history.
Coleman was a former first-round draft pick who has struggled to be on the field consistently. In his first two seasons, he has left a lot to be desired because no one is quite sure what level player he could really be. In the first two seasons, he has only played in a total of 19 out of the possible 32 games. He has shown to be a player whom you tend to see banged up or recovering from an injury more so than a healthy player. This is not a good trend and the new Browns front office felt the same. They added talent to the wide receiver room which will create a lot of competition for Coleman.
Right now as the Browns enter training camp, there is a missing spot with no Josh Gordon. With that Coleman should come in as the second wide receiver, for now. Jarvis Landry will be the number one receiver on the depth chart and when Gordon returns should reclaim the number two position or vise versa. Leaving Coleman to fight for the third spot on the depth chart. He will have to fend off veterans Rashard Higgins and Jeff Jannis along with rookies Antonio Callaway and Damion Ratley. Coleman should be able to show that he has better talent than most of those four. Callaway was a very highly-touted prospect on the field but dropped in the draft due to off the field red flags. This may be the closest in skill at this point.
While this year is a prove it year for Coleman, this is the best situation he has been in since being drafted. The addition of Tyrod Taylor should provide stable quarterback play from a guy who has won games in the NFL. Also, there have never been these many playmakers on the offense. This should allow for Coleman to show what type of talent he can truly be for this Browns team and if it is worth investing in him for the long term after this season.
Image: ESPN
