Rapoport: Patriots to Sign WR Corey Coleman to Contract Amid Eagles Rumors

The New England Patriots are giving former first-round pick Corey Coleman a chance to get his career on track.

The 24-year-old agreed to deal with New England on Tuesday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

This marks Coleman's third team since August. He spent the first two years of his career with the Cleveland Browns after being taken with the 15th overall pick in 2016, but they opted to move on by trading him to the Buffalo Bills for a 2020 seventh-round pick. Less than a month after the trade, Buffalo released him as it trimmed its roster down to 53 at the end of the preseason.

Now the third-year wideout will get a fresh start in Foxborough.

While Tom Brady remains under center, there have been plenty of changes to his receiving corps since the end of last season. Brandin Cooks was traded, Danny Amendola left in free agency, Cordarrelle Patterson was acquired in a trade, and Kenny Britt and Malcolm Mitchell were released during the preseason.

In addition, the NFL suspended Julian Edelman for the first four games for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Fortunately for Brady, tight end Rob Gronkowski decided to play in 2018 and give the quarterback a familiar face to throw to. Chris Hogan remains in New England as well, but besides him and Gronk, the Patriots don't have much proven depth in the passing game.

Coleman was one of the top receivers in his draft class, thanks to his speed and ability to stretch the field. However, he was unable to put his skills on display with the Browns. Not only was there uncertainty at quarterback, but he also suffered a broken hand in each of his first two years as a pro.

As a result, the former Baylor star appeared in just 19 of 32 games in Cleveland.

Coleman totaled just 56 catches for 718 yards and five touchdowns in two seasons with the Browns, recording just one 100-yard game and averaging just 12.8 yards per reception. His time in Cleveland will always be remembered by the drop that sealed the second 0-16 season in NFL history.

The 5'11", 185-pound wideout fell out of favor in Cleveland, who had the top draft choice working with the second-team offense during his third year. Coleman ultimately went to head coach Hue Jackson and suggested the team trade him if he wasn't going to be a part of the team's plans—and that's exactly what the Browns did.

There were circumstances beyond Coleman's control that made it tough for him to live up to his first-round billing in Cleveland. But at 24, he is still plenty young enough to show everyone what he can do.

Now he is in New England and working with Brady, Coleman will have a golden opportunity to try to quiet his critics.