The New England Patriots continue their short-term blueprint by signing former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Corey Coleman.
The New England Patriots are basically a revolving door at this point when it comes to making roster moves. As long as Bill Belichick is the coach and Tom Brady is the quarterback, success is always on the horizon. That same method has been put into play once again.
On Tuesday morning, New England went out and signed 2016 first round draft pick Corey Coleman. The Pats also agreed to contract terms with former Denver Broncos wide receiver Bennie Fowler, according to ESPN. That signing may not be as significant though.
The moves acts as short-term responses to a wide receiver corps that is below average on paper. As of right now, the team has Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, and Cordarrelle Patterson slated as their top three options.
As I expressed in my week 1 recap article, Brady can work with anyone. However, it’s important to keep things fresh and up-to-date, something Belichick definitely had in mind when making this decision.
The Coleman acquisition especially serves a purpose of filling in the voids left by the recent cuts from preseason; Kenny Britt, Jordan Matthews and Malcolm Mitchell.
Despite some problematic locker room issues, the Coleman signing will pay huge dividends over the upcoming weeks, especially against a stout Jacksonville Jaguars secondary in week 2. Here’s why.
1. Coleman now has a great quarterback
Corey Coleman was the 15th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. So far, many will argue that he’s not played like it.
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In two seasons with the Cleveland Browns, the third year player recorded 56 receptions for only 718 yards, according to Pro-Football Focus. Despite his underwhelming play, Coleman has not had at the luxury of playing with an even competent quarterback.
According to FoxSports and ESPN, the Browns had the worst quarterback rating in 2016 (with a tandem of Cody Kessler, Robert Griffin and Josh McCown), and the third worst rating with Deshone Kizer as QB1 in 2017(with a 29.5 rating; yikes).
On the flip side, Brady had the third best quarterback rating of 2017, behind only Carson Wentz and Case Keenum of all people. Maybe in the right system, Coleman will finally live up to his billing as a first round pick, and return to the magnificent production he experienced at Baylor, where he obtained over 1,300 yards receiving in his senior year. If anyone can make him a number one receiver again, it’s Brady.
Although Coleman suffered from having a large ego when with Cleveland (which spread in the locker room), the organization in general featured a losing culture. and Hue Jackson has continued to show his pure incompetency throughout his tenure as head coach (as shown through one win in two years).
Bill Belichick will have none of it. Which leads into my next reason why this is a great move for the New England Patriots.
2. Belichick is his coach now
Bill Belichick does not want to deal with drama. We’ve seen how quickly he can cut someone without hesitation. We’ve also seen him make crazy in-season trades, even if the team is playing well (i.e. Jamie Collins). It’s either his way or the highway, which could either hurt Corey Coleman or help him.
Even if Coleman does fail to abide by Belichick’s rules, he’ll just be replaced by someone else. And let’s be honest, based off of Coleman’s recent performance, he has no room for entitlement. Sure, he was a star in college, but his play has inarguably not translated well to the NFL. If he decides to put away his pride, then he’ll be successful.
Bill Belichick can utilize him better too, notably as an outside threat for Tom Brady, which could lead to a year where Corey Coleman makes big plays after the catch. In his senior year of college, the third year player averaged 18 yards per catch to go along with 20 touchdowns in the entire season.
3. The Patriots have some legitimate weapons now
If Corey Coleman does all of those things mentioned above, then he’ll be a part of a suddenly deeper receiving corps, especially when Edelman returns after week 4. Not to mention Rob Gronkowski is riding high after a 123 yard one touchdown performance in week 1 against Houston. Add in Chris Hogan, and the Pats finally have some threats.
If everything works out, Bill Belichick can have three of the most talented pass catchers at his disposal, something he hasn’t had since the Super Bowl against Atlanta.
Having an extra receiver like Coleman can create matchup problems, even for the best secondaries. NFL teams will basically have to focus on covering three big-time receivers rather than just the one now with Gronk. It eases the load off Brady too, who is 41 and will eventually need all the help he can get.
If all goes well, then maybe Brady won’t need to work his magic every single week in 2018. Maybe Corey Coleman will be the piece they need for short-term success (meaning until Brady retires). Only time will tell.