Pittsburgh Steelers: Early expectations for Sammie Coates
The Pittsburgh Steelers will be missing one of their premier wide receivers in 2016, but Sammie Coates is ready to step up and deliver.
Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers ended with a 10-6 final record and clinched a Wild Card spot in the NFL Playoffs. Unfortunately they fell short in pursuit of adding another Super Bowl championship to their legacy but this time around, they’re looking to make another appearance in the postseason.
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Last season, wide receiver Sammie Coates disappointed not only fans of the Steelers but also the football world by not living up to his potential from the 2015 NFL Draft. The third-round draft pick seemed out of breathe and unable to keep up with the speed of playing in the NFL.
In 2015, Coates was pretty much inactive for the entire season as he had some major issues when it came to his overall strength and conditioning. Coates wisely decided to use his lack of contributions last year on offense as motivation to get into better shape this offseason.
He’s been training and conditioning his body to become faster and handle all the different kinds of defenders he’ll face this upcoming season. It couldn’t have come at a better time since the Steelers’ offense will look drastically different without a familiar face.
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Due to violating the NFL’s substance abuse program, wide receiver Martavis Bryant has been suspended for the entire 2016 season.
It’s a huge void to fill, but Coates is ready to step up and deliver for his team when they need it most.
It’s easy to expect another big year from wide receiver Antonio Brown but make no mistake about it, without that dependable No. 2 receiving option, the Steelers’ offense won’t take off as envisioned.
At 6’2 and 213 pounds, Coates has the skill-set to truly make a name for himself entering his sophomore season.
So far during organized team activities with the Steelers, Coates has reportedly been running faster, keeping up with offensive drills and looking sharp. The Steelers will once again be a run-oriented team but if Coates can deliver big results in 2016, it would make them even an even scarier contender.
Heading into the upcoming season, expect to see big results from Coates who will undoubtedly become the next go-to receiving option for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Since his rookie season was pretty much something Coates would like to forget, he has a big opportunity to not only light up the scoreboard but prove that he was worth investing in.
Brown and Coates could very well end up being the next dynamic receiving duo of the NFL. Brown brings speed and excellent route-running to the Steelers as Coates could develop into a clutch play-making option to keep those chains moving.
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It won’t be easy to replace the production Bryant brought to the table but if Coates can do what he did at Auburn, he could very well be a catalyst on offense. The Steelers will need their offense clicking on all cylinders to replicate the success of last year as Coates will end up being a pleasant surprise to many in 2016.