The New York Giants have a talented trio at wide receiver in Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate and Darius Slayton, but are in need of a fourth — and possibly a fifth — player to round out the group.
Last year, that player was Corey Coleman, a former NFL first round pick who fell out of favor in several stops around the league. Coleman was on the verge of securing a major role in the offense when he tore his ACL at the outset of training camp and was lost for the season.
In March, the Giants re-signed the fully recovered Coleman to a one-year, $1.1 million extension which assures him one more bite at the apple here in New York.
“It was a tough road for him. I’ve been with him the whole time,” said Shepard. “You can hardly even tell that he had that injury last year. He’s been working his butt off and he’s going to continue to do that. I’m really happy to see him back out there on the grass.”
Coleman is back and determined to salvage his career at camp this summer. He has new competition, however. Slayton impressed as a rookie and surpassed him as the team’s third wideout. Now, he has to fend off a group of hungry rookies and second year players.
“I think Corey did a really good job this offseason and this summer, being with the trainers, getting rehabbed and getting ready to go,” said wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert. “There’s only so much he can do with all of the COVID stuff, so he still had to do a lot of work on his own, which he did. I think Corey is pretty much back to where he was before he got injured.
“I’m just looking forward for Corey to go out there and compete like everybody else. He’s making strides right now. He’s going to go out there and practice hard and do what he has to do. With everyone competing, I’m looking forward for him to go out there and make some plays for us and see where the chips fall.”
Coleman spoke to reporters on Thursday and expressed his desire to play for the Giants and explained why he stuck around last year after he was injured.
“I’m very grateful. I love this organization and I’m excited to be a part of it, it’s something special. I’m really excited and thankful, to be honest… I wanted to be around the guys,” Coleman said. “Everyone on the team, we are super close. Me being here, being involved in football, even though I wasn’t playing, I was still involved. I was happy to be here, and I wanted to be here, too.”
Coleman was re-signed not just to give him another shot at making the roster as a wideout but as a returner as well. That was likely the mindset of new head coach Joe Judge, a former special teams coordinator.
“He is such a great guy,” Coleman said of Judge. “He coaches us hard and it’s exciting to be with him. He’s a very smart man and he knows what he’s doing. I’m listening every step of the way trying to learn more from him. We’re excited to have him here. Wherever Coach Judge wants me, I’m going to do whatever I can for the team. I’m excited to be part of this group. I think we have a very special group.”
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