Browns Camp Star’s ‘Heartbreaking’ Injury Raises Concerns

While the bulk of conversation around the Cleveland Browns has been–with good reason–around the team’s puzzling choice of a Week 1 starting quarterback, there are no doubt other issues that are weighing on the team as training camp and the preseason wind down. Obviously, there were worries about the depth of the edge rusher room, as the Browns finally signed Derek Barnett. But the defensive line depth remains a problem and now, after the latest news on breakout summer standout Michael Coats Jr., the already thin cornerback room could be taking another hit.

As ESPN Cleveland Browns reporter Justin Cooper noted on Twitter/X, “Heartbreaking… Undrafted CB MichaelCoats Jr, who was putting together an awesome training camp, had to be helped off with trainers. Doesn’t look to be able to put weight on that right leg.”

Coats has been one of the stars of the Browns’ offseason, though he’s only gotten a chance because of a rash of injuries on the Browns’ depth chart ahead of him.

Cleveland has one of the best cornerback combos in the NFL with Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell, but after those two, the team has been cycling through cornerback injuries all summer. The top three corners behind Ward and Campbell–D’Angelo Ross, Myles Harden and Myles Bryant have all missed time during camp.

Coats had injured an ankle during the Browns’ first preseason game, and now is dealing with a second leg injury here as the month of August closes.

He is still projected to make the 53-man roster because of the work he has done this summer. At ESPN, reporter Daniel Oyefusi projects six corners sticking around, with Bryant the odd man out, as he wrote: “Denzel Ward, Tyson Campbell, Myles Harden, D’Angelo Ross, Tre Avery, Michael Coats Jr.

“Another position with depth concerns, the Browns could look to add a veteran to stabilize the position behind Ward and Campbell. (Coach Todd) Monken recently highlighted Coats, an undrafted rookie, as a player who has stood out amid injuries.

The severity of the injury is not known yet but it does put a damper on what has been one of the better stories of the Browns’ training camp, which needs as many good stories as it can possibly get these days. That’s because there was little expected when the Browns first signed Coats after he was passed over in the NFL draft this year.

Coats is just 5-foot-9, though he has good speed and excellent instincts on the ball. His size was one reason he was not drafted, but also a factor: Coats spent three years in junior college before moving up to Nevada and then on to West Virginia, where he played his final season. He is a 25-year-old rookie.

Indeed, Monken did speak highly of what Coats has done for the Browns this summer, including multiple practice interceptions and one in the preseason game against the Bears.

Speaking about the cornerback room, Monken told reporters, “We’ve been banged up there. It’s been fun watching Michael Coats Jr. play. That guy just shows up every day and makes plays. That’s probably the one that stood out with the other guys beat up at corner.”

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