The Browns made a quiet but revealing move hours before Thursday’s preseason finale against the New England Patriots, and it says plenty about where Michael Coats Jr. stands.
Cleveland waived wide receiver Cedric Tillman and claimed cornerback Mekhi Blackmon off waivers, a transaction that could reshape the back end of the roster at a position the Browns have been piecing together all summer. With cutdowns approaching, Blackmon now has a real chance to stick in Cleveland, and the timing is hard to ignore for Coats, one of camp’s better stories.
Coats had built real momentum as an undrafted rookie. He wasn’t viewed as a sure thing to make the 53-man roster, but he forced the issue with his play in two preseason games.
Then practice this week changed everything when he suffered a lower body injury severe enough to send him off the field on a cart. The Browns haven’t said how serious it is, and they don’t have to release that information during the preseason.
Before the injury, Coats had earned more than a passing look. He was initially set to battle Myles Harden at nickel because of his 5-foot-10, 185-pound frame, but he played bigger than that throughout his 53 preseason defensive snaps.
Against Chicago in preseason Game 1, he lined up inside and outside and turned in two standout plays, including a diving interception of Bears backup Tyson Bagent. Even better was his pass breakup on a third-down throw down the sideline, where he broke on the ball with perfect timing.
The Browns then gave him a longer run at true outside corner in preseason Game 2 against the Bills. That appearance ended early because of the injury, but he still made an impact, recording a couple of tackles and not allowing a catch in coverage, according to Pro Football Focus.
What happens next for Coats depends on the injury and how the Browns choose to handle him. They could place him on injured reserve or try to pass him through waivers and keep him on the practice squad. Either way, the chance he was building toward an active roster spot now looks much shakier.
Blackmon fits the exact kind of need Cleveland has been chasing. A third-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2023, he was derailed by a torn ACL on the first day of training camp in 2024.
That kind of setback will sound familiar to Browns fans, especially with Martin Emerson Jr. having gone through a similar turn after an Achilles injury on Day 1 of 2025 training camp. Emerson became a free agent this offseason and later signed late with the New Orleans Saints.
General manager Andrew Berry told reporters at the annual league meeting that the Browns wanted Emerson to have a chance to test the market and find a better opportunity for playing time. Right now, though, Cleveland’s cornerback room looks like a place where opportunities are everywhere. Injuries have pushed the Browns toward special teams players and UDFAs in recent weeks, and both Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell have their own injury histories.
Blackmon’s path has been bumpy, too. He was waived by the Vikings last summer and played a major role for the Colts last season, logging 784 total snaps.
Still, there were questions about how well the production matched the tape. As Vikings writer Chris Schad of The Viking Age wrote after Blackmon was waived by Indianapolis this week: “While Blackmon had solid stats of 64 tackles, two interceptions, and seven pass breakups last season, he was torched frequently during preseason games and joint practices, surrendering six catches for 74 yards on seven targets, according to PFF,”
For the Browns, the move feels less like a clean fix than a practical one. With Coats hurt, Cleveland is operating in a spot where health and availability matter as much as upside. Blackmon may not solve the depth problem in the secondary, but he is healthy, has played meaningful snaps, and has shown enough in spurts to be worth a roster spot - at least for now.
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