Corey Coleman's rookie season with the Cleveland Browns ended with his admission that he believed that he let a lot of people down with his production, or lack thereof.

His offseason included a direct challenge from his coach that it was time to step up and grow up.

His on-field work ended early in OTAs when he wound up sidelined by shoulder and hamstring issues.

And his offseason concluded with him taking the ever-present "mental reps" as he watched minicamp.

Coleman did not exactly take steps over the past six months to answer questions about his readiness to play in the NFL.

In addition, the narrative about Coleman seems to be changing. When he was drafted in the first round (15th overall) of the 2016 draft, he was billed as a strong, explosive receiver whose transition from a limited route tree at Baylor to the NFL would not be a big deal.
 Now he's a guy who had hamstring issues at Baylor and still has them, a guy who has a lot to learn in going from Baylor to the NFL.

"We all know that Corey had a long way to go," receivers coach Al Saunders said as minicamp ended. He referred specifically to the "college offense that he ran and the limited exposure that he had to route adjustments and the different route trees."

In the same breath, Saunders said Coleman has come a long way and "understands the offense better."

Yet in the offseason — which with new rules limiting practice time and contact in camp is really an extension of training camp — Coleman largely was AWOL.

He left a May 24 practice when he took a rough fall after a catch, then had a defender fall on him. The Browns did not release specifics on his issue, but a week later, coach Hue Jackson said the fall was tougher than he first thought.

That was Coleman's last offseason practice.

"When he landed on the ball, I think it had something to do with his shoulder," Saunders said, again not specifying the injury.

Saunders also confirmed an earlier Cleveland.com report that Coleman also had a hamstring issue, which is a concern because Coleman missed part of training camp a year ago with a hamstring issue and because he had hamstring issues at Baylor, according to Saunders.

Coleman also broke his hand in a freak incident at practice during his rookie season and missed six games. When he came back, he caught only 23 of the 53 passes thrown to him, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

The combination of injuries and time off are not Coleman's fault, but they are a problem as he tries to grow into an NFL player.

"I'm disappointed for him that he can't continue to grow in the fundamentals and skills of his position," Saunders said. "He missed a significant amount of time last training camp. He missed a significant amount of time last season."

Saunders' precise words matter. A receiver who needs to grow into the complex NFL systems, coming out of one where he basically ran three routes (slant, comeback and go), needs time on the field to master those fundamentals.

Any time missed is a setback.

Saunders talked up Coleman, though, saying he is learning and that he has ability to catch, run and separate. He showed that in his first three weeks of his first camp, as he was a standout. He also had a strong game in Week 2 against Baltimore, with two touchdowns and 104 yards.

But since the hand injury, it's been a struggle — and when he returned, he seemed very uncomfortable in cold weather. Saunders said his key at this point is staying healthy and being part of the "able family."

"You want to be dependable, reliable, accountable but, most of all, available," Saunders said. "That's the most important part there is.''