Kenny Britt or Corey Coleman. I’ve been going back and forth and Cleveland’s wide receivers. Which one will be better? (And does either one have much of a chance of posting viable numbers?) I have now settled on my guy.
With Coleman, the possibility of a second-year leap is the main selling point. He had the nice game against Baltimore early last year, going over 100 yards and 2 TDs. If you look at his highlights from Baylor, he looks like he’s going to be another Steve Smith or Brandin Cooks. Quick as hell.
But Coleman mostly has been quiet as a pro. He was hurt for much of his rookie year, and he hasn’t been that impressive when he’s played. Most troubling for me, it seems like they’re intent to try to use him primarily on short routes, getting him the ball quickly, hoping he can make people miss. But he hasn’t made much success on those. Reminds me of Tavon Austin.
After watching the first preseason game, I’m confident Britt will be better. He’s more experienced, and he’s shown ability to get downfield. Despite being stuck on terrible teams with terrible quarterbacks, Britt has averaged 16.0 yards per catch the last three years – 3rd-most in the league among wide receivers with at least 150 catches.
Britt has good speed, when he gets those long legs cranking, and when throwing downfield, it’s easier to hit the big bodies. Britt is huge – 6-foot-3 and 223 pounds.
| YARDS PER CATCH (2014-16) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | No | Yds | Avg |
| T.Y. Hilton | 242 | 3,917 | 16.2 |
| Sammy Watkins | 153 | 2,459 | 16.1 |
| Kenny Britt | 152 | 2,431 | 16.0 |
| Julio Jones | 323 | 4,873 | 15.1 |
| Mike Evans | 238 | 3,578 | 15.0 |
| A.J. Green | 221 | 3,302 | 14.9 |
| Dez Bryant | 169 | 2,517 | 14.9 |
| John Brown | 152 | 2,216 | 14.6 |
| Allen Hurns | 150 | 2,185 | 14.6 |
| Alshon Jeffery | 191 | 2,761 | 14.5 |
| Calvin Johnson | 159 | 2,291 | 14.4 |
| Amari Cooper | 155 | 2,223 | 14.3 |
| Odell Beckham Jr. | 288 | 4,122 | 14.3 |
| Jordy Nelson | 195 | 2,776 | 14.2 |
| Allen Robinson | 201 | 2,831 | 14.1 |
| Emmanuel Sanders | 256 | 3,571 | 13.9 |
| DeAndre Hopkins | 265 | 3,685 | 13.9 |
| Jeremy Maclin | 216 | 2,942 | 13.6 |
| Eric Decker | 163 | 2,183 | 13.4 |
| Brandon LaFell | 175 | 2,330 | 13.3 |
| Brandin Cooks | 215 | 2,861 | 13.3 |
| Mike Wallace | 178 | 2,352 | 13.2 |
| Brandon Marshall | 229 | 3,011 | 13.1 |
| Demaryius Thomas | 306 | 4,006 | 13.1 |
| Steve Smith Sr. | 195 | 2,534 | 13.0 |
| Antonio Brown | 371 | 4,816 | 13.0 |
| Doug Baldwin | 238 | 3,022 | 12.7 |
| Jordan Matthews | 225 | 2,673 | 11.9 |
| Randall Cobb | 230 | 2,726 | 11.9 |
| Davante Adams | 163 | 1,926 | 11.8 |
| Pierre Garcon | 219 | 2,570 | 11.7 |
| Golden Tate | 280 | 3,221 | 11.5 |
| Robert Woods | 163 | 1,864 | 11.4 |
| Anquan Boldin | 219 | 2,435 | 11.1 |
| Julian Edelman | 251 | 2,770 | 11.0 |
| Cole Beasley | 164 | 1,789 | 10.9 |
| Michael Crabtree | 242 | 2,623 | 10.8 |
| Larry Fitzgerald | 279 | 3,022 | 10.8 |
| Jarvis Landry | 288 | 3,051 | 10.6 |
| Keenan Allen | 150 | 1,571 | 10.5 |
In the preseason opener, every ball they threw to Coleman was short (within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage), and they resulted in gains (I think) of 4, 1 and 9 yards. One was negated by a penalty, and another was off target. Very much looked like the AFC’s version of Tavon Austin.
With Britt, I saw an over-the-top throw that he caught at the back of the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown, but he didn’t get both feet down. Later on that drive, they tried to get the ball to Britt on 3 plays when they were inside the 10, and on three different routes – a fade where the timing wasn’t right, a slant from the right, where Britt picked up 4 yards to advance it towards the end zone, and a slant from the left, where the defender got their early, setting them up on the 1-yard line.
Britt has that big body (6-3, 223), and that makes him a much more favorable target in that part of the field. He’ll outscore Coleman, and he’ll hit on more chunk plays downfield. Britt wasn’t a goal-line monster in his three years with the Rams, but he wasn’t chopped liver – caught 6 of 14 passes when targeted inside the 10.
I don’t see a huge difference between these guys, but I expect Britt will be higher on my board for the remainder of the preseason. I think DeShone Kizer will start most of Cleveland’s game, and he’s got a strong arm – could be pretty good at hitting Britt on the longer throws.
(I just wish I had figured this out earlier; I have selected Coleman on at least two of my own teams.)
—Ian Allan