Browns rookie wide receiver Corey Coleman will take the summer vacation of his dreams next month.
Coleman is among the professional athletes who have a coveted Nike endorsement deal with Jordan Brand. Coleman said NBA legend Michael Jordan and the company will bring them to the Bahamas for a getaway from July 7-10.
“God put me in a great situation,” Coleman said in a recent interview with the Beacon Journal.
A Nike spokesperson said the company would not provide details about the event because it’s “a corporate function.”
Browns two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden is also a member of Jordan Brand’s NFL contingent. Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant, free-agent wide receiver Andre Johnson and Jacksonville Jaguars rookie cornerback Jalen Ramsey are as well.
“It’s a great group of guys who are all highly productive in the NFL,” said Coleman, the 15th overall pick in April’s draft. “So by me being even in the brand with them, it shows that I got a lot to prove.”
Coleman plans to pick the brains of his more experienced NFL brethren. He has already bounced ideas off Thomas because they share an agent, David Mulugheta.
“He’s a safety, [so I ask him], ‘What do you see that can help me out that some receivers do?’” Coleman said. “I talk to him all the time.”
In preparation for the opening of training camp on July 29, Coleman plans to work out with Browns quarterbacks Robert Griffin III and Cody Kessler this summer while they train under the guidance of throwing guru Tom House in Los Angeles.
“I’m going to go out there and definitely work out there ‘cause I think that’s the best work, working with quarterbacks who are going to be here with me,” Coleman said.
The vast majority of Coleman’s summer break will be occupied by training, he said, but he’s eager to take a brief break with business partners in the Bahamas.
Coleman and Ramsey are the only NFL rookies signed with Jordan Brand. When the deals were announced in March, Coleman wrote on Instagram he wanted to “be like Mike” growing up.
“To be chosen as a member of Team Jordan is both a blessing and motivation,” Coleman wrote. “I play this game for the Man upstairs, my family, my friends and you, the fans. I’ll never forget my purpose, and will represent this elite brand with nothing but my best.”
Field trip
The Browns took their rookies Thursday to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. The field trip was part of the team’s rookie transition program, which concludes Friday.
“There’s a history in the NFL,” Ron Brewer, the team’s manager of player engagement, said earlier this week. “A lot of times guys [say], ‘Hey, I’m here. I’ve arrived now.’ But, hey, there were other people that came before you, and we’re going to pay respects to them.
“[We] also [want our players to] understand the importance of being in the National Football League and how much of a privilege it is, so that’s the idea behind it. You can’t teach that in the classroom. It gives them a chance to see it, and being right here in Ohio, you can’t miss this opportunity to get out there.”
Several rookies said they were excited for the visit.
“It’s a motivational factor seeing those guys [in the hall of fame],” rookie outside linebacker Emmanuel Ogbah said earlier this week. “You want to be there, too.”
Rankings
Browns nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas is ranked 23rd on NFL Network’s The Top 100 Players of 2016. Thomas was No. 25 last year.
The list is determined solely by the votes of current NFL players, according to the network.
ProFootballFocus.com ranked Thomas 11th on its list of the “101 best players in the NFL right now.” The website labeled him as the league’s best offensive lineman.
Browns Pro Bowl tight end Gary Barnidge also made NFL Network’s list. He’s ranked 94th. He didn’t make PFF’s list.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.