Receiver Corey Coleman hopes he's finally found a home with Giants

Corey Coleman was the top receiver in college football in his senior season at Baylor and a first-round draft pick by the Browns in 2016.

This summer, his fortunes began to shift. He requested a trade and was sent to the Bills. They released him and he signed with the Patriots. They released him and signed him to their practice squad. Then they cut him.

In three months, he’d gone from a starting receiver to unemployed. Until, that is, the Giants called last week and offered him an opportunity on their practice squad.

“Sometimes you have to put your ego to the side,” Coleman said. “I love this game. If it results in me signing to a practice squad, then it’s cool. My whole mentality is: Sign me and I’m going to try to prove to you that I’m worthy of being part of this team.”

He was promoted to the 53-man roster on Thursday and could be active Sunday against Washington. The Giants are trying to figure out their depth behind Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard, and Coleman could end up as part of the solution.

Coleman may be best known for his brief role in the HBO series “Hard Knocks” this summer. In an early episode, he tells coach Hue Jackson that if the Browns don’t want to play him, they should trade him. The next day they did.

Coleman insists there was more to the situation than was presented and that key parts were cut out.

“Everyone has an opinion,” he said. “Some people think the wrong opinion. People really don’t know what went on and the whole truth, so I don’t really worry about what other people think . . . To certain people, I probably do look bad. But I’m past that, and hopefully people can see the new version of me.”

Notes & quotes: The trade of Damon Harrison to the Lions was completed upon his physical Thursday.

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.