Bills GM hopes fresh start will spark Coleman's career

After two unfulfilling years with the Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane hopes new stomping grounds will ignite wide receiver Corey Coleman's career.

"It hadn't worked out in Cleveland probably the way he thought when he was drafted or the way they thought when they drafted him in the first round," Beane said Monday. "So it's a fresh start for him to come in here and compete. He's not going to automatically get anything. He's going to come in here and compete."

Beane and the Bills landed Coleman in a trade Sunday night, sending a 2020 seventh-round pick back to Cleveland. Coleman still needs to pass a physical for the trade to become official.

Coleman struggled to live up to the hype that accompanied him to Cleveland as the 15th overall pick in 2016. He hauled in just 56 receptions for 718 yards and five touchdowns in 19 games split between two seasons, and was hampered by injuries.

"I don't know all what went right or wrong with Corey in Cleveland, but again, we view it as a fresh start here to earn and compete," Beane said. "There is nothing guaranteed here. He's got to come in and earn it, whether it's a starting job or just a job on the (53-man roster)."

What Coleman does bring to the table - and what the Bills lack - is a deep threat at receiver. Beane acknowledged that the trait made Coleman an attractive trade target given the low acquisition cost.

"Definitely, always looking to add speed - both sides of the ball," Beane said. "You can't coach speed. And we're always looking to add it. So that was one of the attractive things of him coming out (of Baylor), and he's still got that."

The Bills boast a shallow crop of receivers, with Kelvin Benjamin being the only established wideout of the group.

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