 Coleman with theSeattle Seahawks in 2018 | |||||||||||||||||
| No. 22, 28, 27 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Cornerback/Nickelback | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1993-03-27)March 27, 1993 (age 32) Columbus, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school | Brunswick(Brunswick, Georgia) | ||||||||||||||||
| College | Tennessee | ||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2015: undrafted | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||
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Justin Jamal Coleman (born March 27, 1993) is an American former professionalfootball player who was acornerback andnickelback in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theTennessee Volunteers, and signed with theMinnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He was also a member of theNew England Patriots,Seattle Seahawks,Detroit Lions, andMiami Dolphins. Coleman wonSuper Bowl LI with the Patriots.
Coleman attendedBrunswick High School inBrunswick, Georgia, where he was a two-sport star in bothfootball andtrack for the Pirates.[1][2] As a sophomore in 2008, he tallied 71tackles, fourpass breakups, threesacks andintercepted two passes. As a junior in 2009, he totalled 83 tackles, six pass breakups, and six interceptions, and also returned akickoff fortouchdown. He helped lead the team to an undefeated district season as a senior in 2010. He was teammates withAhmaud Arbery,Darius Slay, andTracy Walker.[3][4]
Also a standout intrack & field, Coleman finished second in class 4-A at the state championships in the300m hurdles (38.82s) and fifth in the110m hurdles (14.61s) as a senior.[5] He also competed as asprinter at Brunswick, posting personal-best times of 11.04 seconds in the100-meter dash, 22.67 seconds in the200-meter dash and 52.34 seconds in the400-meter dash.[6][7]
Regarded as a four-star recruit byRivals.com, Coleman was ranked the No. 17 overallcornerback in the nation and the No. 16 overall prospect in the state ofGeorgia.[8] He was also named to the Rivals250 Team. He was rated as a three-star recruit byScout.com, and was considered the No. 45 overall cornerback.ESPN.com ranked him the No. 30 overallsafety.
Coleman enrolled in theUniversity of Tennessee, where he played for theTennessee Volunteers football team from 2011 to 2014.[9] He was teammates withAtlanta Falcons wide receiverCordarrelle Patterson in the 2012 season. As atrue freshman, he played in all 12 games (starting four) atcornerback, and was 1-of-16 true freshmen to play for the Vols in 2011. As a sophomore, he started 9-of-12 games played, finishing fourth on the team with 59 tackles (3.5 for loss) and 3 passes defended. He finished his 2013 campaign with 46 tackles, 8 passes defended and an interception, which he returned for a score. As a senior in 2014, he tied for fourth in theSoutheastern Conference (SEC) with four interceptions.[10] Following the 2014 campaign, Coleman was invited to play in theEast-West Shrine Game, where he made four tackles.[11]
On November 18, 2014, Coleman accepted his invitation to play in the2015 East-West Shrine Game.[12] On January 17, 2015, Coleman appeared in the East-West Shrine Game as part ofMichael Singletary's East team. Coleman recorded four solo tackles and deflected a pass as the East routed the West was 19–3.[13] Coleman attended theNFL Scouting Combine as the only player from Tennessee. He completed all of the combine drills and finished with the best time of all cornerbacks in thethree-cone drill. Coleman also finished third, among all corners, in the 60-yard shuttle andbench press and had the fifth best time, among corners, in theshort shuttle. Coleman performed at a private workout for theNew England Patriots.[14] Coleman was projected to be a fifth to seventh round pick in the2015 NFL draft byNFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the 28th best cornerback prospect available in the draft by DraftScout.com.[15]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft10+5⁄8 in (1.79 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 31+1⁄4 in (0.79 m) | 9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 4.53 s | 1.54 s | 2.60 s | 3.98 s | 6.61 s | 37.5 in (0.95 m) | 10 ft 4 in (3.15 m) | 20 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[16] | ||||||||||||
On May 3, 2015, theMinnesota Vikings signed Coleman to a three-year, $1.59 million contract as an undrafted free agent that included asigning bonus of $20,000.[17] Throughouttraining camp, he competed for a roster spot as a backup cornerback againstJosh Robinson,Jabari Price,DeMarcus Van Dyke,Marcus Sherels, andJalil Carter.[18] On August 30, 2015, the Vikings waived Coleman as part of their final roster cuts.[19][20]
On September 4, 2015, the Patriots claimed Coleman off of waivers, but released him the following day.[21][22]
On September 6, 2015, theSeattle Seahawks signed Coleman to theirpractice squad. He had also received offers to join the Patriots and Vikings practice squads, but declined them and joined the Seahawks.[23]
On September 9, 2015, the Patriots signed Coleman to their active roster from the Seahawks' practice squad.[24] Upon his arrival, Coleman was designated as the fifth cornerback in the Patriots'depth chart, behindMalcolm Butler,Tarell Brown,Logan Ryan, andBradley Fletcher.[25]
Coleman was inactive as a healthy scratch for the first two games (Weeks 1–2). On September 27, 2015, Coleman made his professional regular season debut and recorded three combined tackles during a 51–17 victory against theJacksonville Jaguars in Week 3. Coleman was activated over Fletcher and an injury to Tarell Brown.[26] Heading into Week 5, Coleman became the third cornerback on the depth chart after Tarell Brown and Fletcher were placed oninjured reserve.[27] On October 29, 2015, Coleman earned his first career start and collected a season-high five solo tackles and made one pass deflection during the Patriots' 36–7 victory against theMiami Dolphins in Week 8. In Week 10, Coleman made four combined tackles and a pass deflection before exiting the Patriots' 27–26 victory at theNew York Giants after injuring his hand. Coleman remained inactive for the next three games (Weeks 11–13).Rashaan Melvin replaced Coleman during his absence.[28] Coleman aggravated his hand injury and was subsequently sidelined for the Patriots' Week 17 loss at the Miami Dolphins.[29] He finished his rookie season in 2015 with 21 combined tackles (17 solo), five pass deflections, and one fumble recovery in ten games and two starts.[30]
The Patriots finished first in theAFC East with a 12–4 record and earned a first round bye.[31][32] On January 16, 2016, Coleman appeared in his first career playoff game and recorded three solo tackles and made one pass deflection during a 27–20 victory against theKansas City Chiefs in theAFC Divisional Round.[33] The following week, he made four solo tackles and a pass deflection as the Patriots lost 20–18 at theDenver Broncos during theAFC Championship Game.[34]
On March 7, 2016, the Patriots offered Coleman a tender sheet as he became an exclusive-rights free agent.[35] On April 13, 2016, Coleman signed a one-year, $525,000 exclusive-rights tender.[36] Coleman entered training camp as a backup cornerback. He competed withJonathan Jones,Brock Vereen,E. J. Biggers,Cre'Von LeBlanc, V'Angelo Bentley, andDarryl Roberts to be the fourth cornerback on the depth chart.[37] Head coachBill Belichick named Coleman the fourth cornerback to begin the season. He was listed behindLogan Ryan,Malcolm Butler, andCyrus Jones.[38]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Justin Coleman recovers Paul Perkins' fumble |
Coleman was inactive as a healthy scratch for two games (Weeks 5–6).[39] In Week 7, Coleman collected a season-high two solo tackles and made one pass deflection during a 27–16 victory at thePittsburgh Steelers. Coleman was inactive as a healthy scratch for three consecutive games (Weeks 11–13) and was also inactive for a Week 16 victory against theNew York Jets. He was surpassed on the depth chart by Jonathan Jones andEric Rowe.[40] He finished the season with eight solo tackles and three pass deflections in ten games and one start.[41]
The Patriots finished the 2016 NFL season with a 14–2 record and earned a first round bye. Unfortunately, Coleman was inactive as a healthy scratch as the Patriots season won three consecutive playoff games to reach Super Bowl LI. On February 5, 2017, the Patriots appeared inSuper Bowl LI and defeated theAtlanta Falcons by a score of 34–28 in overtime.[42][43]
On March 7, 2017, the Patriots placed an exclusive-rights tender on Coleman. On March 17, 2017, Coleman signed his one-year, $615,000 exclusive-rights tender to remain with the Patriots.[44] During training camp, Coleman competed Eric Rowe, Cyrus Jones, and Jonathan Jones to be the third cornerback on the Patriots' depth chart.[45]
On September 1, 2017, the Seahawks traded their seventh round pick (205th overall) in the2018 NFL draft to the Patriots in exchange for Coleman.[46] Head coachPete Carroll named Coleman the fifth cornerback on the Seahawks' depth chart to begin the regular season. He was listed behindRichard Sherman,Shaquill Griffin,Neiko Thorpe, andJeremy Lane.[47] Coleman was also named the first-team nickelback to start the season.
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Turning Point: Coleman crushes Dallas' playoff hopes | |
| Justin Coleman takes interception to the house |
On October 1, 2017, Coleman made a tackle, a pass deflection, and returned his first career interception for a touchdown during the Seahawks' 46–18 victory against theIndianapolis Colts in Week 4. Coleman intercepted a pass by Colts' quarterbackJacoby Brissett, that was intended for wide receiverKamar Aiken, and returned it 28-yards during the second quarter for his first career touchdown.[48] In Week 8, he made one tackle and made his first career sack with defensive endMichael Bennett during a 41–38 win against theHouston Texans. Coleman's first sack was on Texans' quarterbackDeshaun Watson for a six-yard loss in the third quarter.[49] In Week 9, Coleman collected a season-high seven combined tackles and broke up a pass during the Seahawks' 17–14 loss against theWashington Redskins. On December 3, 2017, Coleman made three combined tackles and made the first solo sack of his career during a 24–10 victory against thePhiladelphia Eagles in Week 13. He sacked Eagles' quarterbackCarson Wentz for a six-yard loss at the end of the third quarter.[50] On December 24, 2017, Coleman recorded three combined tackles, deflected a pass, and returned an interception byDak Prescott for a 30-yard touchdown during the third quarter of a 21–12 win at theDallas Cowboys in Week 16.[51] Coleman finished the2017 NFL season with 42 combined tackles (31 solo), nine pass deflections, two interceptions, 1.5 sacks, and two touchdowns in 16 games and five starts.[52]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Coleman goes airborne to pick off pass from Stafford |
On March 12, 2018, the Seahawks placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on Coleman.[53] Coleman retained his role as the first-team nickelback and also began the season as the third cornerback on the depth chart, behind Griffin and Thorpe.[54] On October 28, 2018, he made four combined tackles, broke up a pass attempt, and intercepted a pass by Lions' quarterbackMatthew Stafford, that was intended for wide receiverGolden Tate, to seal the Seahawks' 28–14 victory at theDetroit Lions in Week 8.[55] In Week 13, Coleman collected a career-high ten combined tackles (eight solo), deflected a pass, and was credited with half a sack during a 43–16 victory against theSan Francisco 49ers. On December 10, 2018, Coleman made one tackle and returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown as the Seahawks defeated the Vikings 21–7 in Week 14. Coleman returned a fumble for a 29-yard touchdown during the fourth quarter afterJacob Martin stripped the ball during a sack on quarterbackKirk Cousins.[56] He finished the season with 55 combined tackles (41 solo), ten pass deflections, one interception, one fumble recovery, one touchdown, and was credited with half a sack in 16 games and five starts.[57]
On March 14, 2019, Coleman signed a four-year, $36 million contract with the Lions.[58][59]In Week 6 against theGreen Bay Packers, Coleman intercepted a pass fromAaron Rodgers that bounced off the hands of wide receiverDarrius Shepherd and returned it for 55 yards in the 23–22 loss.[60]
Coleman was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Lions on July 30, 2020,[61] and was activated from the list five days later.[62] He was placed on injured reserve on September 15, 2020, with ahamstring injury.[63] He was activated on October 31.[64] Coleman played in 11 games and started five in the 2020 season. He finished with 30 total tackles (22 solo) and one pass defended.[65]
Coleman was released by the Lions after the season on March 12, 2021.[66]
On March 18, 2021, Coleman signed a one-year contract with the Dolphins.[67] In Week 10 against theBaltimore Ravens, Coleman interceptedLamar Jackson's pass to seal the 22–10 win for the Dolphins.[68] He played in 16 games and started four in the 2021 season. He finished with 27 total tackles (20 solo), two interceptions, and three passes defended.[69]
On March 23, 2022, Coleman signed a one-year contract with the Seahawks.[70] He was released during final roster cuts on August 30, but re–signed with the team the following day.[71] He played in 12 games in the 2022 season.[72]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2015 | NWE | 10 | 2 | 21 | 17 | 4 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | NWE | 10 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | SEA | 16 | 5 | 43 | 32 | 11 | 1.5 | 1 | 2 | 58 | 2 | 30 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | SEA | 16 | 5 | 55 | 41 | 14 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 29 | 1 |
| 2019 | DET | 16 | 11 | 54 | 47 | 7 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 55 | 0 | 55 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | DET | 11 | 5 | 30 | 22 | 8 | 0.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | MIA | 16 | 4 | 27 | 20 | 7 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | SEA | 12 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 107 | 33 | 248 | 192 | 56 | 2.0 | 6 | 6 | 113 | 2 | 55 | 44 | 4 | 4 | 29 | 1 | ||
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2015 | NWE | 2 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | SEA | 1 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | SEA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 0 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||