Cleveland Browns: Shon Coleman’s Development

The Cleveland Browns have what they hope is their right tackle for the future, but the present is a little cloudy heading into training camp.

Shon Coleman has one of the more unique stories as he enters the NFL. Having battled leukemia and missed multiple seasons in the process, Coleman was drafted in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. And he might have gone higher if not for a torn MCL which didn’t allow him to perform in the athletic testing during the draft process.

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Despite the MCL tear, which caused Coleman to sit out rookie camp, the Browns are still talking as though Coleman could end up as their starter at right tackle. They have four players in the running for that spot including Coleman, Austin Pazstor, Alvin Bailey and fellow rookie Spencer Drango.

There are a number of factors that will impact Coleman during his rookie season, not the least of which is just getting healthy enough to contribute. To this point, it’s unclear what Coleman’s status is and whether he will be cleared for the start of training camp.

Coleman also has to make the switch from left tackle, where he played at Auburn to right tackle in the NFL. It’s unknown how much he’s been able to work on that transition both because he was hurt during minicamp and the rest of this time would be up to his discretion. And obviously if his knee isn’t right, that would be dramatically impact his ability to put in any work.

And as LeCharles Bentley is happy to explain to anyone willing to listen, it’s a big adjustment moving from left tackle to right tackle. The player has to learn to do everything backwards and as it relates to pass protection, it’s not a natural movement in the first place, making that switch even more difficult.

Everything from the left tackle spot for Coleman is basically second nature. In the event he has been able to work, he could start the process to make those movements from the right side ingrained as muscle memory. That’s a time consuming process and if the injury held him back, he’s basically going to have to start working on it whenever he hits the field.

If that turns out to be the case, rather than having a plan before the snap, he is basically just trying to survive and he will be at a significant disadvantage. There may be plays where Coleman gets beaten easily because he took a misstep because his body is so tuned to do it differently or he doesn’t have the feel for his landmarks in pass sets. He looks awful to casual onlookers when it’s a matter of muscle memory and simply having no experience from which to draw.

This is all before Coleman has done anything in regards to learning this blocking scheme and improving on some deficiencies he had in college. Coleman has a ton of natural ability and shows impressive tenacity as a blocker. Perhaps because of how hard he’s had to fight just to get back on the football field, he is resilient and nasty as a blocker.

Coleman isn’t always the most efficient blocker and that’s partly because he wasn’t able to play a ton of football in college. It’s not always pretty and he could get beat because of it, but the ability he showed is why the Browns wanted him.

Not unlike some of the other players selected in this year’s draft by the Browns, including fellow Auburn Tiger Ricardo Louis, Coleman is physically very talented but still raw as a technician. Coleman is a little different from the standpoint that he will turn 25 years old as a rookie, which isn’t ideal, but the Browns are confident that he still has a ton of football in front of him.

Even if the injury has held Coleman back, the hope is he has taken advantage of the wisdom of teammates like Joe Thomas and Joel Bitonio about what it takes to be successful in the NFL. Additionally, the hope is that Coleman has been trying to put in the mental work in understanding what he will need to do when he is finally ready to hit the field. Even if his muscle memory isn’t where it should be, having the playbook down would be promising.

The other physical issue that Coleman is going to have to work on over the next few years is his ankle flexibility. Coleman is extremely stiff and as powerful as he is, he struggles to get behind his pads in the running game. While a powerful blocker in college, Coleman was working much harder than he should have to because he was forced to dig opponents out as opposed to just drive them.

It’s the difference between having to use his arms to make the block and being able to really use his chest and shoulder strength to block. On top of that, it also means not being able to engage his hips effectively, so he’s limiting his leg power. Coleman is only using a fraction of his strength, making it far more difficult to execute and maintain. It’s also more taxing physically and more likely to lead to injury.

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The ideal situation for Coleman would have been to come to the Browns with the understanding that he would be getting healthy and comfortable in the offense for next year. For example, had the Browns used the franchise tag to keep Mitchell Schwartz, next year when Schwartz left, Coleman would be healthy and acclimated to his new job, being able to come out confidently.

That may still happen simply because there are other players that might win that job. None of them is as good as Schwartz, which would have made for a far easier transition, but that isn’t the path they chose.

Coleman may end up starting this year, in which case, confidence will be the key. From the offensive line coach, Hal Hunter Jr. to the head coach, Hue Jackson, they have to be able to get Coleman prepared quickly and make him feel like he can do the job.

If that doesn’t happen, the Browns could end up with a situation similar to Cam Erving last year. It wouldn’t be quite as dire as with Erving, since he had physical limitations of his own doing as well as technical flaws. The Browns also lost their offensive line coach, Andy Moeller, during the season, which caused untold damage up front. All of these issues combined so that when Erving struggled, his confidence went south in a hurry.

The Browns have to do everything they can to ensure that doesn’t happen with Coleman. Along with that, given his path to the NFL, Coleman should be equipped with more mental toughness than Erving was coming into the NFL.

That same mental toughness that helped Coleman get to the NFL may be a major reason to be succeeds on that level. Accustomed to making up for lost time, if the knee has held him back, he will need to bring an attitude of someone who is going to put in the extra work to become a strength on the offensive line. Not only would that mean the Browns could have a good right tackle after losing Schwartz to free agency, but it would immediately earn the respect of the rest of the offensive line.

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There are a number of unknowns with Shon Coleman. Where he is with his knee and how much he’s been able to do since being drafted will have dramatic impact on how quickly he will be able to acclimate and how effective he can be as a rookie. The combination of how committed Coleman is to his craft as well as how equipped Hunter is to develop him will be critical for Coleman both as a rookie and in the future.