Cleveland Browns: J.C. Tretter can relate to Corey Coleman's plight

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Corey Coleman has suffered two fluke injuries in each of his two seasons, which is similar to what happened to J.C. Tretter in Green Bay.

It was obvious to anyone who watched his reaction just how devastated Corey Coleman was with the drop that ended the Cleveland Browns season at 0-16. The larger frustration for Coleman is suffering a broken hand in each of his two seasons, requiring surgery this past season, costing him a total of 13 games in his first two seasons.

J.C. Tretter, who signed a three-year, $15 million deal to come to the Browns as a free agent center can relate. In his rookie season and his third season in the league, he suffered a total of three different injuries due to horrible luck.

As Tretter explained before this season, in his introductory conference call:

"“I have had my fair share of bumps in the road. The first year, I broke my leg in a fluke fumble recovery drill on the first day of OTAs. The next two times, I was hurt where guys ran into the side of my knee. The way I look at it is both of those times it could have been a heck of a lot worse.”"

This past season for the Browns, Tretter played and started all 16 games for the Browns at the center spot and helped to stabilize the interior of the line. There are areas where he can continue to work to improve, especially as it comes to taking on powerful bull rushers, but his mobility from the center position is incredibly valuable. He’s able to pull, creating an extra blocker in certain run concepts, move the pocket in pass protection and helping in the screen game.

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The same type of bad luck that held back Tretter in Green Bay has befallen Coleman in Cleveland, who seems jinxed since becoming a Brown, breaking the same hand twice. He’s had his hand stepped on by opponents and was thrown into a dangerous situation by his quarterback. In no small part due to his draft status and despite the fluky nature in which his injuries occurred, plenty have gone ahead and labeled Coleman as injury prone, a bust.

"“I have taken kind of some hard blows and been able to bounce back. I am 100 percent healthy now and feel really good. I am not too worried about kind of fluke things. It is the game of football. It is a physical game, and sometimes guys fall into your knees. I am not too worried about that being a reoccurring issue.” – J.C. Tretter"

The hope is that Coleman can take a cue from Tretter, who may have said something to this effect to Coleman when he suffered the injury this season. Especially after he came back this past season, it had to be difficult not to think about his hand at times during practices, during games.

With time off to get away from what has been a frustrating season for everyone connected to the Browns, Coleman will have time to recharge and then get back into his offseason program. Last season, Coleman worked extremely hard to improve his route running and his ability to separate and the difference was obvious. In addition to the Browns improving the quarterback position to get their weapons the ball, now Coleman has to take the next step in becoming a better pass catcher.

How much of that is getting his hand and forearm strength back as opposed to maybe a small mental block, technique or a combination, only Coleman really knows. Regardless, it’s just something he needs to get past and given his work ethic in the offseason, he should. Wide receivers tend to hit their stride in their third season, so this is the year where it needs to come together for Coleman, both in terms of playing the position and having a little luck on the health front.

In 19 games, Coleman has caught 56 passes for 715 yards and five touchdowns, 34 of those receptions going for first downs. In one full healthy season with even average quarterback play, Coleman should be able to eclipse those totals and remind people why some had him as the top overall receiver in the 2016 class.

Next: Grading each 2017 first-round pick after rookie year

It’s never been a question of talent with Corey Coleman or J.C. Tretter. Both were incredibly athletes coming out of college, even if Coleman went in the first round and Tretter the fourth. Tretter ultimately left the team that drafted him in part due to fluke injuries as opposed to ineffective play, which so far has been a boon for the Browns. It would be a shame if the same thing happened to Coleman, watching him go on to succeed elsewhere. His name would only be added to the list of players the team didn’t keep that would be held against them later.

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Cleveland Browns: J.C. Tretter can relate to Corey Coleman’s plight

By Peter Smith | Jan 16, 2018

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Corey Coleman has suffered two fluke injuries in each of his two seasons, which is similar to what happened to J.C. Tretter in Green Bay.