The Cleveland Browns will be without wide receiver Corey Coleman for at least four weeks, providing an opportunity for the other rookie wide receivers.
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Corey Coleman is expected to miss at least a month after breaking his hand during practice on Wednesday.
While that is obviously not great news, the silver lining is that the Browns top draft choice will not require surgery at this time and is expected to return for the second half of the season, according to the team.
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If he is out four weeks, Coleman could return for the Oct. 23 game against the Cincinnati Bengals; if it is six weeks the Browns won’t see him until the host the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 6.
While having him back on the field sooner rather than later would be nice, taking the long view of the injury and keeping Coleman out until he is fully healed would not be a bad idea.
The news comes on the heels of Coleman having a breakout game last Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, catching five passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns. That performance pushed him to the top of the team’s leader board in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
It also caught national attention, as Number Fire named Coleman an “Advanced Analytics Superstar”:
Displaying some incredible athleticism, Coleman put on a clinic against the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive backs in this matchup. Coleman was able to make some spectacular plays and ended up finishing with a 98 performance rating, per numberFire Live. He was able to pick up 104 yards on 5 receptions and 2 touchdowns.
Josh McCown targeted Coleman 8 times this week and hit him with ease for a 31-yard touchdown strikefor his first NFL touchdown. On 3rd-and-9, McCown was able to let Coleman work through his route and get behind Shareece Wright for the first score of the game. On his next catch, he was able to stiff arm Jimmy Smith and make a diving extension for the goal line, displaying his athleticism. By the time the game finished, Coleman eclipsed the 100-yard mark and moved himself into top-10 among wide receivers in Total NEP.
With Coleman sidelined and Josh Gordon not eligible to come back for at least two more games, there is now an opportunity for the other rookie wide receivers on the roster to earn some playing time.
Rashard Higgins hasn’t caught a pass yet, but he saw limited time against the Ravens. Ricardo Louis has mostly been on special teams and Jordan Payton has been inactive for the first two weeks of the season. If one of them can step up their development in the next few weeks, that could help take some of the sting out of Coleman’s injury.
Coleman isn’t the only player the Browns will be without on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, as defensive end Carl Nassib (hand), safety Ibraheim Campbell (hamstring), quarterback Josh McCown (shoulder) and center Cameron Erving (lung) all missed practice for the second consecutive day on Thursday, according to media reports.
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