CLEVELAND -- Another recent Cleveland Browns first-round pick in the NFL Draft is no longer with the organization.
On Sunday night, the Browns confirmed they traded wide receiver Corey Coleman to the Buffalo Bills for an undisclosed future pick in the NFL Draft.
Coleman was bitten by the injury bug on multiple occasions since being selected by the Browns with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, but with a new season underway, the hope was he can be an impactful player.
With the Browns already minus Josh Gordon (personal issues) and Ricardo Louis (neck surgery) in the receiving corps, Coleman understood he had an opportunity in training camp to show the kind of player he can be at the NFL level.
“It's going into my third year, time to take a big step,” Coleman said prior to the opening practice of training camp last month. “I feel like it's important.
“I feel motivated. Everybody wants to see, so I'm just working each and every day, putting my head down, just going after it, man.”
During the offseason workouts, offensive coordinator Todd Haley let it be known that it was “a make-or-break year” for Coleman.
“If I don't do what I've got to do, changes are going to be made,” Coleman said. “I don't know what type of changes, but some need to be made.”
Because of injuries, Coleman was limited to just 19 games over his first two NFL seasons, and there were off-the-field concerns, including one that resulted in a lengthy police investigation and another in an early trip home from a road trip to play the Houston Texans last fall.
Coleman turned 56 receptions into 413 yards, five touchdowns and 34 first downs, including 17 each in both 2016 and 2017. Known for his breakaway speed, the 5-foot-11, 185-pound Coleman had just eight 20-yard receptions and three 40-yard catches in his two seasons with the Browns.
Coleman will be remembered as the player taken after the Browns elected to trade out of the No. 2 spot in the 2016 NFL Draft.
By trading the No. 2 pick to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Browns passed on the chance to select Carson Wentz, a 6-foot-6, 235-pound quarterback whom chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta felt that despite being a two-year starter for National Championship teams at North Dakota State, did not have the potential to be a top-20 NFL quarterback.
In his first 29 NFL games, Wentz completed 644 of his 1,047 attempts (61.5 percent) for 7,078 yards and 49 touchdowns against 21 interceptions.
Through 13 games last season, Wentz had the eventual Super Bowl Champion Eagles off to an NFL-best 11-2 start and in first place in the NFC East Division.
Prior to tearing multiple ligaments in his left knee, including the ACL, in a win over the Los Angeles Rams last December, Wentz completed 265 passes for 3,296 yards and 33 touchdowns against seven interceptions and was considered a potential NFL MVP candidate.
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