Browns’ Coleman expected to miss at least one month
Published 12:17 am Monday, September 26, 2016
CLEVELAND (AP) — Rookie wide receiver Corey Coleman does not need surgery on his broken hand, a small but sorely needed positive for the Browns.
Coleman, who scored two touchdowns last weekend, will miss at least one month after breaking his hand during practice on Wednesday, the latest setback to a team reeling from injuries to two starting quarterbacks in the season’s first two weeks.
The first-round pick visited a hand specialist Thursday. Coleman does not need an operation, but will need four to six weeks to recover.
With that timetable, he could be back as early as Cleveland’s game on Oct. 23 at Cincinnati.
Coleman banged his hand on a defender while making a catch during practice. He stayed on the field and continued to catch passes despite the fracture before undergoing an X-ray following practice.
“He is tough,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said. “He practiced and that is what was amazing. I probably was the most surprised when our medical staff came up to tell me.
“I almost fell out of my chair. I told him, ‘You have to be kidding me’ because the guy practiced the whole practice. These things happen, but we are not going to all of a sudden slow down or they are not going to cancel games or postpone games or anything like that.
“Miami is saying, ‘Come on down.’ We have to go play.”
Coleman’s injury is the latest misfortune for the young Browns, who already have lost four other starters, including quarterbacks Josh McCown and Robert Griffin III, and will start rookie QB Cody Kessler this week against the Dolphins.
Starting center Cam Erving (bruised lung) and defensive end Carl Nassib (broken hand) were also injured in Sunday’s loss.
The rash of injuries hasn’t changed Jackson’s focus or goals this season.
“Seen it before. Been through it before,” Jackson said. “The fun part, not the fun part, I shouldn’t say that. There is nothing fun about that.
“At the same time, we are going to get a lot of these guys back at some point. It would be different if I felt like they were out for the year. They are not. These guys are going to come back and hopefully come back and hit the ground running where they were.
“We hate it, but these things do happen from time to time.”
With Coleman out, Andrew Hawkins will start in his place opposite Terrelle Pryor. Coleman’s injury may also give Cleveland’s other rookie wide receivers more playing time.
Fourth-round pick Ricardo Louis has yet to make a catch, fifth-rounder Jordan Payton has been inactive the first two weeks, and Rashard Higgins, another fifth-round pick, is also without a reception.
Kessler, who will become the 26th starting quarterback for the Browns since 1999, won’t be able to build on the connection he made working out with Coleman in California earlier this summer.
The No. 15 overall pick in this year’s draft, Coleman has seven catches for 173 yards in two games, an average of 24.7 yards. The former Baylor standout had five receptions for 104 yards and two TDs against the Ravens.
Coleman was slowed by a hamstring injury in training camp, but has been steadily improving.
Both of his TDs were impressive last week. He hauled in a 31-yard pass from McCown and dragged his feet in the end zone for the score. He also scored on an 11-yard play, outracing a defender and diving into the corner of the end zone as the Browns opened a 20-0 lead.
Pryor, who converted from quarterback to wide receiver, has been impressed with Coleman’s progress.
“I had a long talk with him about how to prepare and how to work on your body after practice and how you have to stay here extra hours,” Pryor said.
“They’re little things that get boring, but it’s good for you and the team because you’re going to be available. Being available is the most important thing when you play in the league. I’m proud of the kid and look forward to seeing what he does this week.”
For now, though, Coleman’s season is on hold.
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