Cleveland Browns Are Going Tough Love With Corey Coleman
By Erik Lambert
The Cleveland Browns will be on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” this year. It would be nice if they might be able to pinpoint some juicy subplots before then.
Luckily the Browns may be ready to oblige. No man may be feeling the heat to perform more in 2018 than Corey Coleman. The wide receiver was selected in the 1st round of the 2016 draft. At times he flashed a serious potential, showing a speed element that gave defenses headaches. Unfortunately, he’s never been able to sustain it, most often because he can’t stay on the field long enough.
Injuries have plagued him since his rookie season. He’s become unreliable, which is arguably the worst word to associate with a football player. Not only that but his chances of rebounding took a serious hit upon the return of Josh Gordon and trade by the Browns for Jarvis Landry. Now the competition he faces to even get on the field is steeper.
New offensive coordinator Todd Haley didn’t show much sympathy for his plight. He told Cleveland.com that if he wants a future on the team, he needs to step up now.
"“He’s been out here working. I’ve seen him every day. He understands this is a big, big year in his career. Year three is usually the make-or-break year of what kind of you’re going to be. I’ve made that clear to him. He understands it, and he’s working hard accordingly to try to be the best that he can be.”"
Coleman future aimed at either trade or departure unless he strikes early
Right now things don’t look favorable. Coleman is battling two more proven receivers for targets. He’s going into a new offense under Haley. He also has to figure out who his quarterback will be. To tackle all that and produce will be a huge challenge. It feels like his fate will either be released in 2019 or perhaps being traded before the deadline in November. That second one is certainly possible given how GM John Dorsey has operated this offseason.
Just imagine how much drama this situation could produce on network television when the cameras go on for training camp. Every big play or mistake he makes will be met with questions of whether it was enough to sway the coaches towards a decision.