When the Pittsburgh Steelers play the St. Louis Rams Sunday, two rookie players could quite possibly make their NFL debuts for the black and gold.
Now that rookie undrafted wide receiver Tyler Murphy has been waived from the 53-man roster to make room for running back Le’Veon Bell, wide receiver Sammie Coates stands a good chance of dressing for the first time this season.
Coates, who was drafted in the third-round this year out of Auburn, caught 10 passes for 179 yards during the preseason in the 148 offensive snaps that he played. He did have four drops in those five games, however.
If Coates does indeed wind up dressing Sunday, most of his playing time could be limited to special teams work barring any injuries. Additionally, once suspended wide receiver Martavis Bryant returns from his suspension in a few more weeks, Coates very well might return to the game day inactive list.
With nose tackle Daniel McCullers looking very questionable for Sundays game against the Rams because of a knee injury he suffered last Sunday, rookie sixth-round draft pick L.T. Walton would appear to be the odds-on favorite to dress in his place. Walton registered 8 total tackles in the 125 defensive snaps that he played in during the preseason.
If Walton isn’t the choice to replace an injured McCullers, that would leave rookie undrafted free agent Caushaud Lyons as the only other choice. Lyons was claimed off of waivers from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the final round of cuts after registering 4 total tackles including a sack during the preseason.
