Cleveland Browns must be careful with Coleman and Gordon

Both Josh Gordon and Corey Coleman are expected to return for the Cleveland Browns’ game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Friday night.

The Cleveland Browns have been slowly easing both Josh Gordon and rookie Corey Coleman back onto the field after both have been dealing with some minor injuries since the start of training camp.

Their absence has allowed Terrelle Pryor to flourish on offense, assuring him a roster spot and making him a key piece in this year’s offense.

Pryor is expected to be behind both Gordon and Coleman on the final depth chart, although Gordon will miss the first four weeks of the season, and fans may finally get to see all three on the field Friday night, according to Pat McManamon of ESPN.com:

"Coach Hue Jackson made it clear without stating it that Gordon and first-round draft pick Corey Coleman will play in a game for the first time. Which means the Browns will see their top receiving trio of Gordon, Coleman and Terrelle Pryor catching passes from Robert Griffin III for the first time as well."

The fact that both Coleman and Gordon are healthy is great news, but Hue Jackson must be careful with both players. Both were dealing with leg injuries, Coleman with a hamstring and Gordon with a quad, that can easily act up and cause either player to miss time if not treated properly.

Gordon still has to serve a four-game suspension once the season begins, so it seems more care needs to be focused on Coleman, who the Browns spent a first-round pick on in April. However, Gordon’s lack of playing in an NFL game since 2014 makes him an easy candidate for a player trying to prove too much and tweaking his quad.

Friday’s game will be the Browns’ third of the preseason, which is known as the preseason game where the starters play the most. This could mean the entire first half, or most of it, but it would be a mistake to let Coleman and Gordon play that much Friday night.

Both players are locks for the roster, so let them play a series or two Friday night and then the same amount in the final preseason game next Thursday. Leave the majority of the playing time for those players trying to make the final roster.

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It would be wrong to have Gordon and Coleman avoid any live tackling before the regular season begins, but one or two hits Friday night is enough for two of the most important players for the Browns this season. Leaving them in when the backups come in could mean a Buccaneers’ player looking for a roster spot may try to lay a big hit to show his worth, and that would be a disaster.