Coleman to have blank slate with Bills
Before making the five-hour drive from Cleveland to the Buffalo Bills’ training camp, receiver Corey Coleman was advised to leave behind the baggage of his two seasons with the Browns.
The injuries, dropped passes and constant reminders of how Coleman failed to live up to the Browns’ expectations as the No. 15 overall pick in 2016 can all be set aside.
“We all go through things in life that don’t go our way,” Bills general manager Brandon Beane said on Monday, a day after acquiring Coleman for a seventhround choice in 2020. “I don’t know all what went right or wrong for Corey in Cleveland. But we view it as a fresh start here to earn and compete.”
For a relatively small price, Beane took what he called a “low-risk” gamble in a bid to add breakaway speed and play-making potential to one of his team’s most unsettled positions, where the Bills lack established depth behind starter Kelvin Benjamin.
Hand injuries limited Coleman to just 19 games with the Browns, during which he caught 56 passes for 718 yards and five touchdowns. Coleman’s tenure in Cleveland will be best remembered for his drop late in the fourth quarter of last season’s finale at Pittsburgh that sealed the Browns’ 0-16 finish. Receiver Corey Coleman never lived up to his firstround billing with the Browns, who traded him on Sunday to the Bills.
stepped away from the Broncos after last season after being diagnosed in recent years with amyloidosis, a rare disease that causes a buildup of amyloid proteins in the heart, kidney, liver and other organs.
He also served as Philadelphia Eagles GM from 2006 to ‘09.
In a statement, the Browns said, “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Tom Heckert and share our sincerest condolences with his family and friends, including the many lives he impacted with the Browns organization and throughout the entire NFL during his established career.”
The New York Jets’ three-man quarterback competition could last for the rest of the summer.
Coach Todd Bowles said he is in no hurry to name Josh McCown, Teddy Bridgewater or Sam Darnold as the starter for the team’s regular-season opener at Detroit on Sept. 10.
“You’ve got to play preseason games,” Bowles said. “I’m not into hypotheticals and nothing that hasn’t happened yet. We’re going to let them play. And after the fourth preseason (game), sometime that week, I’ll make my decision and go from there. It’s possible I will make my decision after the fourth week.”
McCown is the incumbent and No. 1 on the depth chart. But, No. 2 Bridgewater
and No. 3 Darnold saw extensive action in practice. McCown got just 10 snaps in team drills, while Bridgewater had 32 and Darnold a whopping 55, including 16 with the starting offensive line.
Frank Gore, the NFL’s active career rushing leader, might still be a starter at age 35.
Gore is listed as sharing the No. 1 running back spot with incumbent Kenyan Drake on the first depth chart of training camp for the Miami Dolphins.
Gore signed with his hometown team in March and was expected to fill the role of veteran backup. His 14,026 yards rushing rank behind only Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders and Curtis Martin.
If America is souring on pro football, someone apparently forgot to tell Americans. The Chicago BearsBaltimore Ravens matchup in the Hall of Fame exhibition game in Canton on Thursday, televised by NBC, averaged 6.77 million viewers nationally and a 4.1 household rating.
By comparison, on another Thursday night two months ago, NBC televised the decisive Game 5 of the NHL’s Stanley Cup Final. The Capitals’ 4-3 victory over the Golden Knights averaged 6.59 million viewers and a 3.9 household rating.