KC Chiefs are signing wide receiver and former first-round pick Corey Coleman: report
The Chiefs are adding another piece to their offense during free agency.
The team that last week added wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is now signing receiver Corey Coleman, according to The NFL Network. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Coleman, who turns 28 in July, entered the league as a first-round pick (15th overall) in 2016 with the Cleveland Browns. But his career thus far hasn’t lived up to his lofty draft position.
He lasted two seasons with the Browns before demanding a trade in August 2018. Cleveland sent him to the Buffalo Bills, where he spent less than a month before briefly joining the New England Patriots’ practice squad.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Coleman finished the 2018 season with the New York Giants, where he bounced back and forth between the team’s active roster and practice squad before being released in November 2020. He was suspended for the first six games in 2021 for a violation of the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy and didn’t play any games last season.
Coleman has appeared in 27 games with 19 starts, totaling 61 catches for 789 yards and five touchdowns, since being drafted. His best season came during his 2016 rookie campaign with the Browns, when he had 33 catches for 413 yards and three touchdowns. Coleman can also be used on special teams, having produced 23 kickoff returns for 598 yards in 2018 with the Giants.
With the Chiefs, Coleman has another chance to get his career back on track, but he’ll face stiff competition. Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman and Smith-Schuster project as the Chiefs’ top three receivers, while the Chiefs also brought back Josh Gordon on a reserve/future deal. Free agent Demarcus Robinson was visiting the Raiders, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday.
Coleman becomes the fourth Chiefs signing during free agency, joining Smith-Schuster, safety Justin Reid and offensive lineman Geron Christian.
Here some are other notable Chiefs-related moves so far this week:
The Chiefs signed linebacker Elijah Lee to a one-year deal, a source familiar with the situation told The Star. Lee is a local, having prepped at Blue Springs High School and played collegiately at Kansas State. He originally entered the league in 2017 as a seventh-round pick with the Minnesota Vikings and played for the Cleveland Browns the past two seasons.
The Packers are signing defensive tackle Jarran Reed, the NFL Network reports. Reed spent the 2021 season with the Chiefs on a one-year deal, starting all 17 regular-season games.
The Chiefs began Tuesday with $5.6 million in available salary cap space, according to the NFLPA Public Salary Cap Report. But they might have some added breathing room. The Chiefs are converting $12.86 million of left guard Joe Thuney’s base salary to a signing bonus, which projects to create $9.6 million in cap space, ESPN reports.
- The Chiefs signed cornerback Luq Barcoo, his agency announced. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Barcoo entered the league in 2020 as an undrafted free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he appeared in three games and one start. He spent time on the practice squads for the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers in 2021.
- The Chiefs lost cornerback Mike Hughes after he reportedly agreed Monday night to a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions. Hughes appeared in all 17 regular-season games with five starts for the Chiefs in 2021.
This story was originally published March 22, 2022 at 12:00 PM with the headline "KC Chiefs are signing wide receiver and former first-round pick Corey Coleman: report."
