Cleveland Browns: Previewing the 2017 wide receiving corps
Corey Coleman
Corey Coleman has battled through injuries thus far in his career – a worry coming out of college. He played in ten games as a rookie putting up 33 receptions, 413 yards and three touchdowns.
Browns fans didn’t quite see the amount of exposure they hoped for in 2016, though it was easy to see why he was the first receiver taken off the board in 2016. In Week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens the rookie had five catches for 104 yards and two touchdowns.
In the open field Coleman is a disaster to cover with his quick foot-work and ability to make defenders miss – something the Browns have lacked at the receiver position for a while.
Wide receiver coach Al Saunders offered some insight, shared in an article on cleveland.com, to Coleman’s improvements from year one, adding he comprehends the offense much better.
"“The way he understands the offense now is so much better than he did last year,” Saunders said. “He had a long way to go based on the college offense that he ran and the limited exposure he had to route adjustments and the different route trees, but he’s come a long way.”"
There is no doubt the former No. 15 overall pick will find himself in a starting role in Cleveland this season, but he must remain healthy. If Coleman can play all 16 games in 2017 the Browns would be ecstatic and hopefully it would establish him as a top-level threat in the AFC North.
Ricardo Louis
Ricardo Louis is perhaps the most intriguing wide receiver on the Cleveland Browns roster. Playing quarterback until college, Louis’ transition to receiver has been interesting.
He displays fantastic athleticism and possesses the skill set to be a stable offensive threat but there was one glaring issue in his rookie season. Catching the football.
It’s a fixable problem for a young player just beginning to scratch the surface in a position transition. Al Saunders spoke on his improvements already from last season and is clearly excited to see Louis grow in 2017. Most noteworthy was Saunders praise for his work ethic and desire to study the fundamentals of the position, shared in an article on chroniclet.com.
"“There’s not a guy in that room that prepares any more diligently off the field at home than Ricardo,” Saunders said. “He is magnificent in his note-taking, his transcribing, the way he studies at night. He’s really helped himself understanding what he has to do and now he lines up at the line of scrimmage when he hears the play and sees the defense and recognizes the coverage, he goes a hundred miles an hour and he is a talented young man."
There is no doubt after Britt and Coleman the Browns wideouts are questionable at best, but Hue Jackson is hoping some of the younger guys will establish themselves as the opportunities come.
As of right now, Louis looks to be the one with the best shot at proving himself a viable option with an opportunity but guys like Rashard Higgins and Jordan Payton are right on his tail.