Cleveland Browns: Ranking the most important players since 1999

6. Corey Coleman

Corey Coleman simply had to make this list. While it is hard to put the entire onus on him, it’s also entirely possible that Coleman is the reason that the 2017 Browns went 0-16, which then caused the retirement of Joe Thomas, along with so many other things.

Allow me to explain. In the closing minutes of a game on December 31, 2017, Browns wide receiver Corey Coleman dropped a pass that would have certainly allowed the Browns to score and very likely win the game.

In a sense, the word “dropped” is being used very lightly here. Have you ever watched a football bounce off of concrete? It was more like that, than a drop. Corey Coleman “concrete hands”-ed that pass from DeShone Kizer.

While not in a playoff game, this infamous Browns drop was just as important to the franchise, and the direction it took immediately afterwards. If you go back and watch the tape, Coleman knows, immediately, what he has just caused. Let’s review.

Sitting down, hands on the temples, the whole deal. That is serious “you messed up” body language. Corey Coleman has just sealed his team’s fate for the 2017 season, and he knows it. Let’s take a look at the list qualifications.

Did the player have a lasting impact on the franchise? No, not entirely. Outside of “that guy who dropped the pass,” Corey Coleman isn’t really a very famous or infamous Browns player. Did his paly have a lasting impact, though? Absolutely, yes. Corey Coleman is, at least mostly, the reason that the Browns went 0-16.

Did this change the course of Browns and NFL history? Well, considering that no regular season Browns games have been played since that point yet, only time can tell. But maybe the Detroit Lions still stand alone as the only 0-16 team if Coleman catches that pass. It’s impossible to tell.