Coleman caught a 5-yard hitch in the red zone, slipped two defenders and reached the end zone. Hamilton even used a basketball analogy: “He can score the ball.”
“That’s what we’re going to need him to do,” Hamilton said at Browns training camp Thursday. “We need a big-play threat or two or three on the perimeter.”
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Don’t look now, but the Browns might have that soon.
Coleman is making the most headlines, especially after a friendly back-and-forth with cornerback Justin Gilbert in practice this week. But Cleveland also has a 1,000-yard tight end from last season in Gary Barnidge, and a playmaking wide receiver (pending his return from a drug suspension) in Josh Gordon, who had 1,646 yards in 2013.
Cleveland has something to work with here, especially when you consider the team’s top three in receptions in 2015 (Barnidge, Travis Benjamin and running back Duke Johnson) combined for 2,543 yards and 16 TDs. The Browns have real receivers and a renowned position coach in Al Saunders. Sixth-year veteran Andrew Hawkins is the dean of the group, and he worked with first-year coach Hue Jackson in Cincinnati. Even former Bengals receiver Chad Johnson and former Baylor coach Art Briles have stopped by to offer tips.
“They’ve met all expectations and exceeded,” Hawkins said. “The biggest thing is you want hard work, you want effort. It sounds cliche, but it’s not common, especially for young guys. You have got all the young guys, and even the guys that have been here, they have just been working their tails off start to finish. We’ve never had to worry about effort, which is always the first step.”
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Coleman isn’t the only rookie breaking in. Hamilton pointed out Rashard Higgins, who has a “skill set that is above average.” Ricardo Louis is a “poor man’s Andre Johnson.” Jordan Payton “won’t label as a possession receiver.” Hamilton wants to see this group at Cleveland’s scrimmage at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday.
“It’s a chance to play real-life football (and) establish our identity as a power-running team with the threat of making big plays downfield,” Hamilton said.
Cleveland hasn’t had nearly enough of that since coming back to the NFL in 1999. Only six Browns have had more than 1,000 receiving yards in a season. That list includes four wideouts: Gordon, Braylon Edwards in 2007 (1,289), Kevin Johnson in 2001 (1,097) and Antonio Bryant in 2005 (1,009); and two tight ends: Kellen Winslow in 2007 (1,106) and Barnidge (1,043).
Edwards and Winslow did it in the same year, and it’s no coincidence that has been the Browns’ only season of double-digit wins since returning to the league. Edwards is the only Cleveland player to have more than 10 TDs in a single season since 1999. The Browns need receivers who get in the end zone.
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Can Coleman/Gordon and Barnidge pull off the same feat? Will some of those rookies step up? There’s also the ever-fascinating Terrelle Pryor, who is still learning the position. Johnson is good out of the backfield.
That entire group, however, could be working with quarterback Robert Griffin III, who hasn’t played a game with any of them in the NFL (Griffin and Gordon were teammates at Baylor). Josh McCown hasn’t played with Coleman or Gordon. There’s still a bend on what Hamilton called a “learning curve.” Hawkins said the subtle differences in a seven-step drop that might be different between quarterback and receiver need to be worked out. That takes time.
Still, on paper, Cleveland’s receivers have looked a lot worse in the recent past. There are a lot of ifs — Gordon especially — but this could be the right supporting cast for whoever starts at quarterback.
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Perhaps the best sign of all is the latest first-round pick is getting the most attention simply by “scoring the football.”
“We’ve got a lot of good guys,” Coleman said. “Guys who compete their butt off and a lot of guys who want to learn and want to change this organization around. They can roll.”
