Cleveland Browns: Healthy Corey Coleman Offers Glimpse of Future
With rookie receiver Corey Coleman’s return, the Cleveland Browns will get another receiving threat, but also a glimpse into the future of their offense.
The 0-8 Cleveland Browns—and their fans—are faced with the harsh reality that the 2016 season is essentially over. The Browns aren’t playoff bound and late-season wins aren’t going to be good for much more than a sliver of confidence.
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Of course, this season was never about wins and losses. Yes, the players coaches and team executives would love to be winning more than they are losing, but that’s not the immediate goal for this young team. This season is about developing players for the future and about figuring out which young players deserve to be a part of the team when wins and losses do matter.
One player who appears likely to stick around is rookie wideout Corey Coleman. While the Baylor product only appeared in two games before suffering a broken hand, he had the look of a future star. Coleman produced seven receptions for 173 yards and two touchdowns in those two games.
It appears that Coleman is set to make his return in Week 9 against the Dallas Cowboys.
Hue Jackson says WR Corey Coleman has "had a really good week. He's full go."
— Patrick Maks (@maksimuspatrick) November 3, 2016
Having Coleman back is great for the Browns and not only because it gives the team a chance to further evaluate the rookie. Having Coleman on the field will help give the team a better idea of what the offense as a whole can look like down the road.
Let’s consider Coleman’s potential impact on emerging star receiver Terrelle Pryor. The quarterback-turned-wideout is making the whole receiver thing look relatively easy in his first year as a starter.
Through eight weeks, Pryor has 41 catches, 532 yards and three receiving touchdowns. He is rated 42nd overall among all receivers by Pro Football Focus.
Pryor is another player who the Browns seem to want to keep around. According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the team has already started the conversation about a contract extension:
As the #Browns now have two potential franchise players, worth noting they’ve begun contract talks with Terrelle Pryor. It’s early, though.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 31, 2016
With Coleman back on the field, Cleveland will now have a better idea of how good Pryor can be when defenses cannot put all of their resources into stopping him. Coleman will obviously benefit from Pryor’s presence, too, and teams may find it increasingly difficult to double-team either receiver.
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Coleman’s speed and playmaking ability can also help prevent opposing defenses from stacking the box against Cleveland. This should help the Browns get a better idea of what they have in their running-back tandem of Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson.
At one point early in the season, the Browns had the league’s top-ranked rushing attack. However, teams quickly decided that the easiest way to beat the team’s offense was to take away the ground game. The Browns are now ranked just 12th in rushing, with an average of 114 yards per game.
Coleman can help stretch the field and open up running lanes. This will also be a benefit on gameday, but it will also help the team determine if it should move forward with its current backfield or add to it in the offseason.
Though rookie quarterback Cody Kessler is probably better suited as a long-term backup than a franchise signal-caller, it will be interesting to see how he performs with Coleman added to the mix—when and if he returns to the starting lineup.
Of course, the Browns will get to evaluate Coleman over the second half of the season. If he continues to play like he did in his first two games, Cleveland will probably decide it has its top two receiver spots figured out for the foreseeable future.
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The Browns are still a long way away from contending, but they are beginning to build a foundation for the future. Having Coleman back in the mix will help the team identify which areas of the foundation are strong enough to build around.