Browns hoping to have Gordon, Coleman play in 3rd preseason game

The Cleveland Browns' top two receivers are closing in on their respective 2016 debuts.

After each was forced to sit out the first two games of the preseason, head coach Hue Jackson is hopeful that both Josh Gordon and first-round pick Corey Coleman will be in the lineup for next week's matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"My thought was to get (Coleman) and Josh both out there in pregame so they understand the process of how we do it," Jackson said after Thursday's loss to the Atlanta Falcons, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. "Hopefully, next week, they'll have an opportunity to both be out there and play in a game."

Gordon, who was reinstated from suspension on a conditional basis to start camp, had his return to the team delayed as he recovered from a quad injury. Coleman, meanwhile, just recently returned to practice after missing time with a hamstring issue.

The recent progress and optimism from Jackson would appear to suggest that the pair of dynamic wideouts are on track to be at full strength in time for the regular season.

Gordon will have to serve a four-game suspension before he's first eligible to play in Week 5, giving Coleman every opportunity to serve as the No. 1 target in the meantime.

Robert Griffin III has led a much-improved passing attack through two preseason games in which converted quarterback Terrelle Pryor was his top playmaker. Gordon and Coleman eventually joining the mix could conceivably give the unit enough weapons to exceed any and all expectations in what many have already written off as a rebuilding year.