When the Buffalo Bills traded a 2020 seventh-round draft pick to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for former first-round draft pick Corey Coleman, the expectation was the former Baylor University standout would immediately step in and bolster a wide receiver corps considered among the worst in the NFL.
While that still should be the case, during Wednesday morning’s media availability on the final day of training camp at St. John Fisher College, head coach Sean McDermott offered some valuable insights into how big of a role Coleman will play in the passing game when the Bills travel to face the Cleveland Browns at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Friday night.
McDermott mentioned that Coleman needs to get to the point where he knows the playbook before his specific role can be figured out for Buffalo’s first road game of the preseason. He will play in a limited role.
Coleman hauled in 56 passes for 718 yards with five touchdowns in his two seasons in Cleveland, having appeared in 19 games (18 starts). Coleman missed 13 games due to a broken hand injury suffered each season. He is a speedster (4.37 40 time) who immediately gives Buffalo a credible deep threat.
Coleman was asked if he will feel added pressure/motivation when the Bills travel to face the Browns, Coleman’s former team, in Week 2 of the preseason.
“There’s always something to prove when you step on the field,” Coleman told Jason Wolf of The Buffalo News. “This team got high expectations for me and also, I (do) for myself. So every time I’m out there I’m going to give 100 percent and do my job.”
What did McDermott have to say about the news that, during an episode of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” that aired Tuesday, Coleman was seen engaging in an emotional confrontation with Browns’ head coach Hue Jackson over his playing time?
“Not just in this situation, we gather as much information as we can, and [general manager] Brandon [Beane] and his staff do a really good job of that,” McDermott said. “In this case, I can’t honestly — I don’t tune into that, I’m focused on our team, quite honestly — but we’re aware of a lot of things.”