Hue Jackson had close to a full roster at his disposal Monday as he put the Browns through their first practice in nearly a week.
On top of wide receiver Corey Coleman, who was designated to return from injured reserve earlier in the day, the Browns welcomed back, in some capacity, defensive backs Jabrill Peppers and Jason McCourty, defensive end Myles Garrett and defensive tackles Larry Ogunjobi and Trevon Coley. All of the players were inactive in the Browns' last game before the bye, a 33-16 loss to the Vikings in Twickenham, England.
"We will see exactly where they are as we go throughout the week, but it was good to have everyone back out there and contributing," Jackson said. "It was good. It was a good first day to have everybody back."
Peppers (toe) and McCourty (ankle) have missed the past two games with their respective injuries. Coley and Ogunjobi missed their first games of the season while Garrett (concussion), who leads the team with four sacks, was sidelined for the fifth time this year.
The Browns defense held its own without the injured players but ultimately wore down, surrendering multiple, fourth-quarter touchdowns in the loss.
"Defensively, we have done some really good things," Jackson said. "We have stopped the run. Obviously, in the scoring zone, we have to do a better job in some areas. (Defensive coordinator) Gregg (Williams) is really putting emphasis on that for our defense, and hopefully we can get better there."
-- Jackson said Coleman, who has been out with a broken hand since Cleveland's Week 2 loss to the Ravens, looked "fast" in his first practice in nearly two months. Coleman missed six games last season because of a broken hand and would miss seven this year if he's able to return by next week's game against the Jaguars, the first game in which he's allowed to be active after coming off injured reserve.
"He looked fast, he could catch, he can run," Jackson said. "Sometimes you forget how talented he is because he hasn't been out there in a while, but it was good to have Corey back out there and hopefully he will do a little bit more on Wednesday, do a little bit more on Thursday and hopefully we can get him back out there next week."
-- The Browns have not worked out any kickers to compete with rookie Zane Gonzalez, Jackson said, but the team needs more consistency from him during the second half of the season.
Gonzalez missed an extra point and short field goal at crucial moments in the Browns' loss to the Vikings. On the season, he's 7-of-11 on field goals and 12-of-13 on extra points. He missed three straight kicks during a two game stretch Weeks 4 and 5.
"We would like to have our young guy do better," Jackson said. "He understands he needs to play better. Very inconsistent right now. He has to take the bull by the horns that way and get it done … I mean, this is where we are and he has to go be consistent for us."
-- Jackson reaffirmed his commitment to Spencer Drango at left tackle for Sunday's game against the Lions.
Drango received his first NFL start at the position against the Vikings. He's filling the spot vacated by Joe Thomas, who started 167 straight games before going down with a season-ending triceps injury.
Right tackle Shon Coleman and left guard Joel Bitonio could play the position in a pinch.
"We have done our due diligence that way, but we know that we have some candidates that if something doesn't go right that we can put over there," Jackson said, "but Spencer is definitely going to start over there."
