Hours before his first training camp practice of 2017, Corey Coleman could only shake his head as he reflected on the handful of injuries that marred his rookie season and this past spring's OTAs and minicamp.
"It's like I couldn't catch a break," Coleman said.
That's what made Thursday so rewarding for the talented wide receiver. He was active for the majority of practice and made his presence felt during team drills. During the first half of practice, Coleman ran an out close to the sideline and leaped high in the air to snag a pass from rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer. Later, he used his speed to take a short pass and pick up chunk yardage before anyone could touch him.
"He looks explosive. He looks like the old Corey," Browns coach Hue Jackson said. "My goal is to keep him that way and see if we can keep him that way throughout camp, throughout these preseason games and get him to the season playing like we think he can play."
In all likelihood, Coleman's training camp will include a few stops and starts. Much like a number of other players on the roster who dealt with injuries during the spring, Coleman is getting "eased" back into the swing of things, as the Browns coaching and training staffs do everything possible to get the team in optimum shape for the season opener.
-- Perhaps the most important sight on the field were the two stationary bikes near the new grandstand. They remained unoccupied from start to finish as the Browns -- with the exception of fourth-round rookie Howard Wilson, who is out for a significant amount of time with a knee injury -- started training camp at full strength.
A handful of players left the field with trainers Thursday, including veteran wide receiver Kenny Britt, but all of the situations were heat-related, Jackson said.
-- Britt was on the receiving end of the longest play of the practice, as Cody Kessler found him on a deep pass down the right sideline. In each of the past three seasons, Britt had at least one reception of 60 yards or longer.
On one of the final plays of the last team period, Rannell Hall took a reverse pitch and streaked toward the end zone with plenty of space on all sides of him. Hall's nicknamed "Speedy" for a reason, it seems.
-- 10-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas participated in most drills but stood on the sidelines during team sessions. Shon Coleman, who is competing for the starting right tackle job, filled in for Thomas on the left side while Cameron Erving, the top competition to Coleman, played at right tackle with the first-team offense.
"I'm going to monitor Joe. I'm going to keep that hour glass on that guy until we need to," Jackson said. "Joe has proven everything he needs to. I know this young man knows how to get ready to play. I kind of give him the green light in that way. One thing we all know about Joe is that he is going to be out there when the time comes. He will be ready to play and play well."
Thomas, of course, has never missed a snap since he began his NFL career in 2007. He's at 9,934 consecutive snaps and counting.
-- The thousand-plus fans sitting in the new grandstands got a great view of rookie Myles Garrett during a pass rush drill. The No. 1 pick got the best of his opposition on multiple occasions in front of the most condensed, large group of fans the Browns have had at training camp in years.
"It is really spectacular. It gives our fans a little different access, a chance really to sit down," Jackson said. "Some great stands over there and the stands that we put on this side of the field. It is really fan friendly and I think more people will come out. I think our players really enjoy that."
