Editor's note: Tony Grossi covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN 850 WKNR.
Among the conclusions reached by GM John Dorsey in nine days of Browns training camp was that Antonio Callaway was a better wide receiver than Corey Coleman.
And that conclusion led Dorsey to ship Coleman to Buffalo -- receiver Siberia -- in a trade for a bag of beans, namely the undisclosed and uninspiring "future draft choice."
Thus completes the Circle of Life of the signature personnel move of Sashi Brown, Dorsey’s predecessor.
Coleman was the first player drafted by Brown after trading the No. 2 overall pick in 2016.
And Callaway was the last player taken by Dorsey with assets from Brown’s original trade.
We can now connect the dots from Coleman to Callaway.
The Browns bypassed quarterback Carson Wentz and -- after eight trades over three drafts and two general managers -- acquired 13 players. Eight are left, with another on injured reserve.
They are: offensive tackle Shon Coleman, receiver Ricardo Louis, safety Derrick Kindred, offensive lineman Spencer Drango, safety Jabrill Peppers, safety Damarious Randall, cornerback Denzel Ward, defensive lineman Chad Thomas, and Callaway.
Acquiring Randall, Ward, Thomas and Callaway was the work of Dorsey trying to salvage the greatest personnel mistake made by the Browns since they snubbed Ben Roethlisberger in 2004.
Here is the new rundown of players acquired by the Browns as a result of bypassing Wentz in 2016.
1. Wide receiver Corey Coleman (15th overall pick, 2016)
In two seasons, he had 56 catches, five touchdowns and two breaks of his right hand. He also broke curfew on the road hanging with bad-influence Kenny Britt and was sent home prior to a game in Houston, and was investigated – but not charged – in a beating of a man in a downtown hotel in 2016.
2. Offensive tackle Shon Coleman (76th overall, 2016)
Given front-runner status to replace Joe Thomas at left tackle, he surrendered it before a preseason game was played, causing the team to enact Plan Z – moving Pro Bowl alternate guard Joel Bitonio to tackle. Now Coleman’s roster spot as a backup is no lock.
3. Quarterback Cody Kessler (93rd overall, 2016)
His 0-8 record as a starter is only the second-worst in Browns expansion history. Dorsey traded him to Jacksonville for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2019. Kessler probably has to hang on as Blake Bortles’ backup for the condition to be met.
4. Wide receiver Ricardo Louis (114th overall, 2016)
Unexpectedly bequeathed 12 starts in two years – mostly due to Corey Coleman’s injuries -- he produced 45 receptions and no touchdowns before suffering a neck injury that resulted in surgery and cost him his third season. He will miss the 2018 season on injured reserve.
5. Safety Derrick Kindred (129th overall, 2016)
A thumper who is competing for a starting spot in his third season and should at the very least be involved in sub defensive packages and special teams.
6. Wide receiver Jordan Payton (154th overall, 2016)
Josh Rosen’s one-time favorite receiver at UCLA, he has not found a new team since being cut in 2017 after posting one catch and one performance-enhancing drug suspension.
7. Offensive lineman Spencer Drango (168th overall, 2016)
A recent shuffling has cast this versatile lineman as the offensive line’s sixth man in his third season, capable of filling in at guard or tackle.
8. Safety Jabrill Peppers (25th overall, 2017)
Uncomfortable as an “angel” safety playing backbackback – 25 yards back from the line of scrimmage – as a rookie, his long-term future hinges on making plays closer to the line of scrimmage as a box safety. He was less than advertised as a punt returner and now is just a backup there.
9. Quarterback DeShone Kizer (52nd overall, 2017)
The only quarterback in NFL history to begin his career with an 0-15 record as a starter, Dorsey included him as a throw-in in a deal with Green Bay for …
10. Free safety Damarious Randall
He produced 10 interceptions in 30 starts at cornerback for the Packers after being the team’s first-round pick, 30th overall, in 2015. The Browns moved him to his natural position at Arizona State and appointed him starting free safety.
11. Cornerback Denzel Ward (fourth overall, 2018)
After bypassing Wentz in 2016, Sashi Brown almost outdid himself a year later and hand-delivered quarterback Deshaun Watson to the Texans in a trade of the 12th overall pick for Houston’s No. 1 in 2018. Ward – the first Ohio State player drafted by the Browns since Brian Robiskie in 2009 – is considered a Day 1 starter.
12. Defensive lineman Chad Thomas (67th overall, 2018)
Dorsey traded Philadelphia’s second-round pick, No. 64, to the Colts for third-round pick and a sixth-round pick. He used the third-round pick on Thomas, a Miami Hurricane developmental end whose rookie camp was interrupted by an injury.
13. Wide receiver Antonio Callaway (105th overall, 2018)
Dorsey considered Callaway the top receiver in the 2018 draft. When the Florida product dropped as a result of a 2017 full season suspension and then a positive drug test at the NFL combine, Dorsey swapped the sixth-round pick from the Colts to the Patriots to move up nine spots in the fourth round to select Callaway.
In the Browns’ first preseason game Thursday against the New York Giants, Callaway may be a starting wideout along with Jarvis Landry.
If Josh Gordon returns soon from additional treatment for substance addiction, Callaway could open the regular season as the Browns’ No. 3 receiver.
That would have been the role for Coleman, who begat it all in 2016 and now is off to Buffalo, another footnote in the history of Browns draft busts.